Copyright  1917 
W  hitman  Publishing  Co 


WILLIAM  JAMES  JACKMAN 


From  a  Painting 
by  George  M.  Schmidt 


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HISTOKT 


OF  TH6 


AMERICAN  NATION 


WILLIAM  J.  JACKMAN 


JACOB  H.  PATTON 
JOHN  LORD 
THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 
GEO.  F.  HOAR 
JAMES  BRYCE 
GROVER  CLEVELAND 
CHAS.  A.  DANA 
HORACE  PORTER 


ROSSITER  JOHNSON 
ROGER  SHERMAN 
JOHN  HAY 
HERBERT  WELCH 
GEO.  WM.  CURTIS 
HENRY  W.  GRADY 
JOHN  H.  VINCENT 
HENRY  CABOT  LODGE 


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BENJ.  F.  TRACY,  and  Others 


Edition  de  Luxe 


VOLUME  I 


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Western  PREssiAsso^TioNjr^^My^ 

V  J  ■  '  ' 


CHICAGO 


^OSTOK  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 

UT  HILL,  MASS, 


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COPYRIGHT  1911 
L.  W.  WALTER  COMPANY 
REVISED  AND  REPRINTED  1920 
WHITMAN  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
RACINE,  WISCONSIN 


Authorities  Consulted 

# 

In  the  preparation  of  this  History  the  writers  have  had  in 
mind  the  idea  that  no  one  author,  however  talented,  is  in  po¬ 
sition  to  write  on  every  period  of  Our  Country’s  life,  even  if 
the  period  of  any  one  man’s  life  would  furnish  time  in  which 
to  properly  cover  such  a  stupendous  task.  Therefore  we  have 
consulted  every  authority  available,  the  object  being  to  make 
this  a  History  of  the  United  States  by  the  greatest  writers  of 
American  History,  and  in  justice  make  grateful  acknowledg¬ 
ment  of  our  indebtedness  to  the  following  leading  authorities : 


EDWARD  ABBOTT 

Revolutionary  Times. 

JOHN  ADAMS,  LL.  D. 

Novanglus,  a  History  of  the  Dispute 
with  America  from  1754-1774. 

HENRY  ADAMS 

History  of  the  United  States.  1801- 
1817. 

Administration  of  Thomas  Jefferson, 
1801-1809. 

Administration  of  James  Madison. 
American  History  Association  Pa¬ 
pers. 

COL.  ETHAN  ALLEN 

Narrative  of  the  Capture  of  Ticon- 
deroga. 

GEORGE  ALLEN,  LL.D. 

Battles  of  Mexico. 

CAPT.  ENOCH  ANDERSON 

Personal  Recollections. 

ELISHA  B.  ANDREWS, 
PRESIDENT  BROWN 
UNIVERSITY 

A  History  of  the  United  States. 

A  History  of  the  Last  Quarter  Cen¬ 
tury  in  the  United  States. 

JOHN  ANDREWS,  LL.D. 

History  of  the  War  with  America. 

GEN.  JOHN  ARMSTRONG 

Notes  on  the  War  of  1812. 

WILLIAM  S.  BAKER, 

Itinerary  of  Gen.  Washington,  1775- 
1783. 

GEORGE  BANCROFT, 
PH.  D.  LL.D. 

A  History  of  the  United  States. 
Literary  and  Historical  Miscellanies. 


HUBERT  HOWE  BAN¬ 
CROFT,  LL.D. 

A  History  of  the  Pacific  States  of 
North  America. 

Early  American  Chroniclers. 

HENRY  M.  BRACKEN- 
RIDGE 

History  of  the  Late  War  Between 
the  United  States  and  Great  Brit¬ 
ain. 

CYRUS  TOWNSEND 
BRADY 

Border  Fights  and  Fighters. 

Indian  Fights  and  Fighters. 

ELDRIDGE  STREETER 
BROOKS 

Century  Book  of  the  American  Rev¬ 
olution. 

ALEXANDER  BROWN, 

D.  C.  L. 

The  First  Republic  in  America,  An 
Account  of  the  Origin  of  this  Na¬ 
tion,  Written  from  the  Records 
then  (1624)  concealed  by  the 
Council,  rather  than  from  the  His¬ 
tory  licensed  by  the  Crown. 

NICHOLAS  M.  BUTLER 

The  Effect  of  the  War  of  1812  Upon 
the  Consolidation  of  the  Union. 

ANDREW  CARNEGIE 

Triumphant  Democracy,  or,  60  Years 
March  of  the  Republic. 

BRIG.  GEN.  HENRY  B. 
CARRINGTON 

Battles  of  the  Revolution,  1775-1781. 

JAMES  H.  CARLETON, 
A.M.,  LL.D. 

Battle  of  Buena  Vista. 

Complete  History  of  the  Mexican 
War. 


WILLIAM  ESTABROOK 
CHANCELLOR 

The  United  States,  A  History  of 
Three  Centuries. 

BENJAMIN  CHURCH,  M.D. 

History  of  the  Eastern  Expeditions, 
1689,  1690,  1692,  1698,  1704. 

King  Philip’s  War. 

GROVER  CLEVELAND, 
LL.D. 

Presidential  Problems. 

CHARLES  C.  COFFIN 

Days  and  Nights  on  the  Battlefield. 
Building  the  Nation. 

Drumbeats  of  the  Nation. 

MAJ.  GEN.  GEORGE  W. 
CULLUM 

Campaigns  of  the  War  of  1812-15. 
Struggle  for  the  Hudson. 

RICHARD  HARDING 
DAVIS 

Cuban  and  Porto  Rican  Campaigns. 

BENJAMIN  F.  DE  COSTA, 
D.D. 

Pre-Columbian  Discoveries  of  Amer¬ 
ica  by  the  Northmen. 

Sailing  Directions  of  Henry  Hudson 
The  Northmen  in  Maine. 

SAMUEL  GARDNER 
DRAKE 

Book  of  the  Indians. 

Early  History  of  New  England. 
French  and  Indian  Wars. 

EDWARD  EGGLESTON 

A  History  of  the  United  States  and 
Its  People. 

Beginners  of  a  Nation. 

Transit  of  Civilization  from  Eng¬ 
land  to  America. 

EDWARD  S.  ELLIS 

Historical  Reading. 

Peoples’  Standard  History  of  the 
United  States. 

HENRY  WILLIAM  ELSON 

History  of  the  United  States. 

Side  Lights  on  American  History. 

GEORGE  PARK  FISHER, 
D.D.,  LL.D. 

Colonial  Era 

REDWOOD  S.  FISHER 

Progress  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  from  the  Earliest  Peri¬ 
ods,  Geographical,  Statistical,  and 
Historical. 


JOHN  FISKE,  LL.D. 

Discovery  of  America. 

Old  Virginia  and  Her  Neighbors. 
The  Beginning  of  New  England. 
The  Dutch  and  Quaker  Colonies  of 
America. 

The  American  Review. 

The  War  of  the  Indians. 

A  Critical  Period  in  American  His¬ 
tory. 

HENRY  GANNER, 

The  Building  of  a  Nation. 

LIEUT.  LION  GARDENER 

Lieut.  Lion  Gardener.  Hi3  relations 
of  the  Pequot  Wars. 

WILLIAM  GORDON,  D.D. 

History  of  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States. 

JAMES  GRAHAME 

History  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of 
the  United  States  of  North  Amer¬ 
ica. 

LIEUT.  COL.  SAMUEL. 
ABBOTT  GREEN,  M.  D. 

Blodgett’s  Plan  of  the  Battle  of 
Lake  George. 

School  Histories  and  Errors  in 
Them. 

REV.  WILLIAM  E.  GRIF¬ 
FIS,  D.D. 

Romance  of  Conquest. 

\ 

REV.  EDWARD  EVERETT 
HALE,  S.T.D. 

Memories  of  a  Hundred  Years. 
History  of  the  United  States. 

MURAT  HALSTEAD 

Our  Country  in  War  Relations  with 
all  Nations. 

Full  Official  History  of  the  War 
with  Spain. 

The  Story  of  the  Philippines. 

ALBER  B.  HART 

Exposition  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

White’s  Universal  History.  (Editor.) 
American  History  Told  by  Contem¬ 
poraries.  (Editor.) 

Courses  in  the  Constitution  and  Po¬ 
litical  History  of  the  United 
States. 

Formation  of  the  Union. 

Source  Book  of  American  History. 

LIEUT.  RICHMOND  P. 
HOBSON 

Sinking  of  the  “Merrimac.” 


THOMAS  HUTCHINSON, 
GOVERNOR  OF  THE 
PROVINCE  OF  MASSA¬ 
CHUSETTS,  1771-1774. 

A  History  of  the  Province  of  Massa¬ 
chusetts  Bay. 

CHARLES  JARED  INGER- 
SOLL,  LL.D. 

A  History  of  the  Territorial  Acqui¬ 
sitions  of  the  United  States. 

A  History  of  the  War  of  1812-1815, 
Between  Great  Britain  and  the 
U.  S. 

JOHN  ROBERT  IRELAN, 
M.D. 

The  Republic,  or,  A  History  of  the 
United  States  in  the  Administra¬ 
tions. 

JOHN  FRANKLIN  JAME¬ 
SON,  M.D. 

William  Usselinx,  Founder  of  the 
Dutch  and  Swedish  West  India 
Companies. 

Constitutional  History  of  the  United 
States.  (Editor.) 

Dictionary  of  United  States  History. 
(Editor.) 

JOHN  LOUIS  JENNINGS 

Eighty  Years  of  Republican  Gov¬ 
ernment  in  the  United  States. 

HENRY  P.  JOHNSON 

Campaign  of  1776  around  New  York 
and  Brooklyn. 

L.  CARROLL  JUDSON 

Sages  and  Heroes  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

The  Growth  of  the  American  Na¬ 
tion. 

HORATIO  0.  LADD 

The  History  of  the  War  with  Mex¬ 
ico. 

For  “History  of  the  Minor  Wars  of 
the  United  States.” 

HENRY  CABOT  LODGE, 
PH.D. 

The  English  Colonies  in  America. 
Studies  in  History. 

JOHN  BENSON  LOSSING, 
LL.D. 

Seventeen  Hundred  and  Seventy-Six, 
or.  The  War  for  Independence. 
Lives  of  the  Presidents  of  the  Unit¬ 
ed  States. 

The  New  World. 

Biographical  Sketches  of  the  Signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independ¬ 
ence. 

Pictorial  Field  Book  of  the  Revolu¬ 
tion. 


Pictorial  History  of  the  United 
States. 

National  History  of  the  United 
States. 

The  American  Nation. 

justin  McCarthy,  ll.d. 

A  Short  History  of  the  United 
States. 

JOHN  B.  McMASTERS, 

A  History  of  the  People  of  the  Unit¬ 
ed  States  from  the  Revolution  to 
the  Civil  War. 

With  the  Fathers. 

GEORGE  W.  MANYPENNY 

Our  Indian  Wards. 

JOSEPH  C.  MARTINDALE, 
M.D. 

A  History  of  the  United  States  from 
1492  to  1864. 

J.  A.  PARTRIDGE 

The  Making  of  the  American  Na¬ 
tion. 

CHARLES  H.  PECK, 

The  Jacksonian  Epoch. 

SAMUEL  PERKINS 

Historical  Sketches  of  the  United 
States  from  the  Peace  of  1815  to 
1830. 

DAVID  RAMSAY,  M.D. 

A  History  of  the  United  States  from 
their  First  Settlement  as  Colonies 
of  England  in  1607  to  the  Year 
1808. 

JAMES  F.  RHODES,  LL.D. 

A  History  of  the  United  States 
from  the  Compromise  of  1850. 

JOHN  CLARK  RIDPATH, 
LL.D.  and  D.D. 

A  History  of  the  United  States. 
Popular  History  of  the  United 
States. 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Naval  War  of  1812. 

The  Rough  Riders. 


NATHAN  SARGENT 

Public  Men  and  Events,  1817-1853. 

ADMIRAL  WINFIELD 
SCOTT  SCHLEY 

Forty-Five  Years  Under  the  Flag. 

GEN.  JOHN  M.  SCHOFIELD 

Forty-five  Years  in  the  Army. 


JAMES  H.  SCHOULER, 
LL.D. 

The  History  of  the  United  States 
Under  the  Constitution. 

Historical  Briefs. 

HORACE  E.  SCUDDER 

The  History  of  the  United  States. 
Men  and  Manners  a  Hundred  Years 
Ago. 

ELLEN  CHURCHILL 
SEMPLE 

American  History  and  its  Geograph¬ 
ical  Condition. 

COL.  TALIAFERO  P. 
SHAFFNER,  LL.D. 

The  War  in  America. 

A  History  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  from  the  Earliest  Period 
to  1857. 

NATHAN  SHALER,  S.D., 
LL.D. 

The  United  States  of  America,  A 
Study  of  the  American  Common¬ 
wealth. 

JOHN  D.  G.  SHEA,  LL.D. 

The  Story  of  a  Great  Nation. 

EDWIN  E.  SPARKS 

Men  Who  Made  the  Nation  of  the 
United  States  of  America. 

JARED  SPARKS,  LL.D. 

Letter  to  Lord  Mahon  on  Washing¬ 
ton’s  Writings. 

Reply  to  Lord  Mahon. 

Letters  of  Washington  to  Reed. 

The  Diplomatic  Correspondence  of 
the  American  Revolution. 


JESSE  A.  SPENCER,  LL.D. 

History  of  the  United  States. 

ALEXANDER  H.  STEPH¬ 
ENS,  LL.  D. 

History  of  the  United  States. 
History  of  the  War  Between  the 
States. 

JOHN  R.  SPEARS 

History  of  Our  Navy,  from  its  Or¬ 
igin  to  the  War  with  Spain. 

FRANCIS  E.  WALKER, 
LL.D. 

The  Making  of  the  Nation. 

HENRY  WATTERSON 

History  of  the  Spanish-American 
War. 

NOAH  WEBSTER,  LL.D. 

History  of  the  United  States. 

GEN.  JOSEPH  WHEELER 

The  Santiago  Campaign. 

MARCIUS  WILLSON 

History  of  the  United  States. 

WOODROW  WILSON,  A.M., 
PH.D. 

Division  and  Reunion,  1829-1889. 
History  of  the  American  People. 

JUSTIN  WINSOR,  LL.D. 

Cartier  to  Frontenac. 

The  Westward  Movement. 

The  Mississippi  Basin. 

Narrative  and  Critical  History  of 
America.  (Editor.) 


VOLUME  I 


PREFACE 


f 


IN  the  preparation  of  this  work  it  has  been  the  aim 
of  the  author  to  present  the  various  facts  and  inci¬ 
dents  marking  the  history  of  the  United  States  in 
an  impartial,  unbiased  manner.  Few  men,  even 
among  those  who  make  close,  analytical  study  of  con¬ 
ditions,  view  the  same  things  in  exactly  the  same 
way.  For  this  reason  there  is  apt  to  be  a  wide  vari¬ 
ance  in  historical  works  in  treating  on  the  same  sub¬ 
jects.  All  careful  historians  will  agree  on  the  main 
facts,  especially  as  to  well-established  occurrences 
and  dates,  while  differing  widely  as  to  the  causes  and 
results  of  these  occurrences. 

If  it  were  not  for  this  characteristic  of  history  re¬ 
cording  and  analysis  marking  the  difference  in  the 
various  works  of  this  nature,  one  history  (provided 
it  were  reliable)  would  be  as  valuable  as  another,  and 
there  would  be  little  or  no  choice  between  them,  ex¬ 
cept  in  the  matter  of  diction.  But  history  students 
of  the  present  day  are  becoming  more  and  more  im¬ 
bued  with  a  desire  to  advise  themselves  accurately  on 
matters  other  than  a  knowledge  of  dates  and  occur¬ 
rences;  they  wish,  and  laudably  so,  to  draw  deduc¬ 
tions  from  these  events ;  to  know  why  and  how  cer¬ 
tain  occurrences  were  brought  about,  and  the  effect 
on  subsequent  affairs.  This  is  particularly  the  case 
with  men  and  women  who  have  advanced  beyond  the 
mere  school  stage.  They  have  become  reasoning  in¬ 
dividuals  with  minds  of  their  own  and  the  power  to 
deduce  their  own  inferences  from  comparison  of  the 
various  authorities. 


/ 


It  is  to  assist  in  this  endeavor  that  the  author  has 
made  of  the  “History  and  Government  of  the  United 
States”  something  more  than  an  ordinary  historical 
record.  He  has  endeavored  to  analyze  the  causes  and 
effects  of  important  events,  briefly  in  some  instances, 
and  at  considerable  length  in  others.  It  would  be 
strange,  remarkably  so,  if  all  readers  should  agree 
with  the  author’s  deductions  as  thus  made,  but,  de¬ 
spite  such  disagreements  in  opinions,  and  they  are 
legitimate  ones,  these  deductions  have  been  made  in 
all  candor  and  honesty,  and  with  the  sole  purpose  of 
assisting  discriminating  readers  to  draw  their  own 
conclusions.  This  is  becoming  more  and  more,  and 
rightly  so,  the  main  object  of  conscientious  histor¬ 
ians. 

As  will  be  seen  this  work  extends  beyond  the  mere 
history  of  the  United  States.  It  dates  back  to  the 
earliest  days  of  America,  not  merely  for  the  purpose 
of  reiterating  the  well-known  facts  of  discovery  and 
settlement,  but  to  establish  the  necessary  chrono¬ 
logical  chain  of  events,  and  bring  out  the  historical 
connection  between  the  past  and  the  present.  Aside 
from  an  interesting  chapter  on  “American  Prehis¬ 
toric  Races,”  these  early  events  in  the  history  of  our 
country  are  treated  as  briefly  as  is  consistent  with 
the  general  purpose  of  the  work,  and  a  careful  read¬ 
ing  of  them  will  aid  to  a  better  and  more  intelligent 
understanding  of  conditions  leading  up  to  the  present 
situation. 

It  is  only  fair  and  proper  that  the  thanks  of  the 
author  should  be  given  to  the  eminent  gentlemen 
whose  invaluable  contributions  have  made  it  possible 
to  complete  an  authentic  and  reliable  work  of  this 
magnitude. 


W.  J.  J. 


CONTENTS 


VOLUME  I. 


Pages  17-54 
SKETCH: 

The  History,  Greatness  and  Dangers  of  America,  by  John 
Lord,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

LIEF  ERICSSON, 

Pages  55-56 

And  other  Norse  Adventurers. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Pages  57-62 
COLUMBUS. 

His  Discoveries.  — Misfortunes.  — Death.  — Amerigo  Vespucci 
and  the  name  America. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Pages  63-89 

American  Prehistoric  Races. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Pages  90-93 

SPANISH  DISCOVERIES  AND  CONQUESTS. 

South  Sea. — First  Voyage  Round  the  World. — Ponce  de  Leon. 
— Florida. — Vaaquez  de  Agllon. — Mexico  and  Peru. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Pages  94-100 

ENGLISH  AND  FRENCH  DISCOVERIES. 

John  Cabot  discovers  the  American  Continent. — His  son,  Se¬ 
bastian. — Voyages  of  Verrazzani. — Voyages  of  Cartier. — 
Attempts  at  Settlement. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Pages  101-106 

DE  SOTO  AND  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

Lands  at  Tampa.  Bay. — On  the  Mississippi. — His  Death. 


12 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Pages  107-108 

THE  REFORMATION  AND  ITS  EFFECTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Pages  109-116 

THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

Settlement  Destroyed. — St.  Augustine. — De  Gourges. — Settle¬ 
ments  in  New  France. — Champlain. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Pages  117-124 
ENGLISH  ENTERPRISE. 

Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert. — The  Fisheries. — St.  John’s,  New¬ 
foundland. — Sir  Walter  Raleigh. — Exploring  Expedition. 
— Virginia. — Failures  to  Colonize. — Contest  with  Spain. — 
Death  of  Sir  Walter. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Pages  125-137 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA. 

London  and  Plymouth  Companies. — King  James’s  Laws. — The 
Voyage  and  Arrival  —  Jamestown,  —  John  Smith,  his 
Energy. — His  Captivity. — Misery  of  the  Colonists. — New 
Emigrants. — Lord  Delaware. — Sir  Thomas  Gates. — Poca¬ 
hontas;  her  Capture  and  Marriage. — George  Yeardley. — 
First  Legislative  Assembly. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Pages  138-155 

COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

First  Voyage  to. — Explorations  of  John  Smith. — The  Church 
of  England.  —  The  Puritans.  —  Congregation  of  John 
Robinson. — Pilgrims  in  Holland. — Arrangements  to  Emi¬ 
grate. — The  Voyage. — Their  Prominent  Men. — A  Consti¬ 
tution  adopted. — Landing  at  Plymouth. — Sufferings. — In¬ 
dians. — Weston’s  Men. — Thanksgiving. — Democratic  Gov¬ 
ernment. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Pages  156-181 

COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY. 

A  Company  Organized;  Settlement  of  Salem. — The  Charter 
Transferred. — Boston  and  Vicinity  Settled. — Roger  Wil¬ 
liams:  his  Banishment;  he  founds  Providence. — Discus¬ 
sions  Renewed. — Anne  Huchinson;  Settlement  of  Rhode 
Island. — The  Dutch  at  Hartford;  Disputes  with. — Migra¬ 
tions  to  the  Connecticut;  Hooker  and  Haynes. — Pequod 
War. — Rev.  John  Davenport;  Settlement  of  New  Haven. 
— Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges;  New  Hampshire. — The  United 
Colonies.  —  Educated  Men;  Harvard  College,  Printing 
Press,  Common  Schools. — Quakers:  Persecution  of. — Eliot 
the  Apostle — the  Mayhews. — Inner  Life  of  the  Colonists. 
~The  Tithing  Man. — The  title  of  Mr.:=— Progress. 


CONTENTS 


13 


’CHAPTER  XII. 

Pages  182-198 

VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND. 

Slavery. — Massacre  by  the  Indians. — King  James’s  Sympa¬ 
thies. — Lord  Baltimore. — Settlement  of  Maryland. — Clay- 
borne’s  Rebellion. — Toleration. — Berkeley,  Governor  of 
Virginia,  Intolerance.  —  State  of  Society.  —  Aristocratic 
Assembly.  —  War  with  the  Susquehannas. —  Nathaniel 
Bacon. — Disturbances,  Obnoxious  Assembly  Dissolved. — 
Jamestown  burned;  Death  of  Bacon. — Tyranny  of  Berk¬ 
eley;  Aristocratic  Assembly;  its  Illiberal  Acts. — Deplor¬ 
able  state  of  the  Colony. — College  of  William  and  Mary„ 
— Troubles  in  Maryland. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Pages  199-217 

COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK. 

Hudson’s  Discoveries. — A  Change  Wrought. — The  Fort  on  the 
Isle  of  Manhattan. — Walloons — the  first  Settlers — Peter 
Minuits. — The  Patroons;  Van  Twiller  Governor. — Kieft 
his  Successor. — Difficulties  with  the  Indians. — They  Seek 
Protection;  their  Massacre. — Peace  Concluded. — Stuyves- 
ant  Governor. — The  Swedish  Settlement  on  the  Dela¬ 
ware;  Pavonia. — New  Netherlands  Surrendered  to  Eng¬ 
land. — The  Influence  of  the  Dutch. — Settlements  in  New 
Jersey;  Scotch  Presbyterians. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Pages  218-229 

COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

The  Quakers.  —  William  Penn;  his  Education.  —  Obtains  a 
Charter. — Lands  at  New  Castle;  Philadelphia  Founded. — 
Rights  of  the  Indians. — German  Emigrants. — Fletcher 
the  Royal  Governor. — New  Charter  Granted  the  People. — 
Presbyterians  from  Ireland  and  Scotland.  —  Trials  of 
Penn;  his  Death. — Benjamin  Franklin. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Pages  230-245 

COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS. 

The  first  Settlers. — Grants  to  Royal  Favorites. — The  “Grand 
Model.” — Settlement  at  Cape  Fear  River. — Sir  John  Yea- 
mans. — Emigrants  Under  Sayle. — The  Huguenots. — The 
People  Independent. — Churchmen  and  Dissenters. — Rice. 
— Manufactures  Prohibited. — War. — Failure  to  Capture 
St.  Augustine. — The  ruin  of  the  Apalachees. — Religious 
Controversies. — German  Emigrants. — Indian  Wars. — The 
People  repudiate  the  Authority  of  the  Proprietaries. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Pages  246-257 
COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA. 

Founded  in  Benevolence. — Oglethorpe. — First  Immigration. — 


14 


CONTENTS 


Savannah. — Encouragements. — Germans  from  the  West¬ 
ern  Alps. — The  Moravians. — Scotch  Highlanders. — The 
Wesleys.  —  Whitefield;  his  Orphan  House.  —  War  with 
Spain,  its  Cause. — Failure  to  Capture  St.  Augustine. — 
Repulse  of  the  Spanish  Invaders. — The  Colony  Becomes  a 
Royal  Province. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Pages  258-273 

NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  II. 

The  Restoration. — The  Commissioners. — Progress  of  Trade. — 
Causes  of  King  Philip’s  War. — Death  of  Wamsutta.— 
State  of  the  Colony. — Attack  at  Swanzey. — Philip  Among 
the  Nipmucks. — Attacks  on  Northfield;  on  Hadley,  Goffe. 
— Tragedy  at  Bloody  Brook. — The  Narraganset  Fort  De¬ 
stroyed. — Philip  Returns  to  Mount  Hope  to  die. — The 
Disasters  of  the  War. — James  II.;His  Intolerance. — The 
Charters  in  Danger.  —  Andros  Governor.  —  His  Illegal 
Measures. — Charter  of  Rhode  Island  Taken  Away. — An¬ 
dros  at  Hartford. — Andros  in  Jail;  the  Charters  Resumed. 
— The  Men  of  Influence. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Pages  274-299 

COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK— WITCHCRAFT  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Leisler  Acting  Governor  of  New  York. — The  Old  Council  Re¬ 
fuses  to  Yield. — Sloughter,  Governor. — Trial  and  Execu¬ 
tion  of  Leisler  and  Melbourne. — Benjamin  Fletcher,  Gov¬ 
ernor;  His  Failure  at  Hartford. — Yale  College. — The 
Triumps  of  a  Free  Press. — Witchcraft;  Belief  in. — Cotton 
Mather. — Various  Persons  Accused  at  Salem. — Stoughton 
as  Judge,  and  Parris  as  Accuser. — Minister  Burroughs. — 
Calef's  Pamphlet. — Mather’s  Stand  in  Favor  of  Inocula¬ 
tion. — Persons  put  to  Death  as  Witches  in  England  and 
Scotland. — The  Humane  Penal  Laws  in  New  England. — 
Land  Holding  in  New  England. — The  Effect  of  the  Revo¬ 
lution  of  1688. — Land  Holding  in  Virginia. — Education  in 
Virginia. — Management  of  Civil  Affairs. — Literary  Cul¬ 
ture  in  the  Middle  Colonies  and  the  Newspapers. — The 
Inner  Life  in  New  England  and  Virginia. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Pages  300-311 

MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCE. 

The  Emigrants  Few  in  Number. — The  Jesuits;  their  zeal  as 
Teachers  and  Explorers. — Missions  Among  the  Hurons. — 
Ahasistari.  —  The  Five  Nations,  or  Irquois.  —  Father 
Jogues. — The  Abenakis;  Dreuilettes. — The  Dangers  of  the 
Missions. — French  Settlers  at  Oswego. — James  Marquette. 
— The  Mississippi. — La  Salle;  His  Enterprise;  His  Fail¬ 
ure  and  Tragical  End. 


A  SKETCH 

OF  THE 

History,  Greatness  and  Dangers 


AMERICA 


By  JOHN  LORD,  LL.D. 

Author  of  “ Beacon  Lights  of  History,"  etc. 


\ 


A  SKETCH 

OF  THE 

History,  Greatness  and  Dangers 

of  America 


By  JOHN  LORD,  LL.D. 

Author  of  “ Beacon  Lights  of  History etc. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  an  event  in  the 
history  of  the  world  followed  by  more  important  re¬ 
sults,  certainly  in  a  material  and  political  aspect, 
than  the  discovery  of  America  by  Christopher 
Columbus ;  and  as  centuries  and  years  roll  on,  these 
results  appear  greater  and  grander,  so  that  no  hu¬ 
man  intellect  can  grasp  the  mighty  issues  which  per¬ 
petually  arise  to  view.  How  little  did  the  great  dis¬ 
coverer  anticipate  the  consequences  of  his  adventure¬ 
some  voyages!  How  little  conscious  was  he  of  the 
boon  he  rendered  to  civilization  and  the  human  race ! 
It  was  too  great  to  be  measured  by  any  ordinary  hu¬ 
man  services. 

Nearly  a  century  passed  away  before  the  European 
mind  began  to  appreciate  the  true  import  of  the  dis¬ 
covery.  Columbus  himself  did  not  imagine  the  bless¬ 
ings  which  he  had  almost  unconsciously  bestowed. 
He  had  no  idea  even  that  he  had  given  a  new  world 
to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  He  supposed  at  first  that 
he  had  reached  the  eastern  shores  of  Asia — the 
Zipango  of  Marco  Polo;  that  he  had  solved  a  great 
geographical  problem  of  vast  commercial  importance, 
and  was  entitled  to  high  reward.  Yet  it  had  been  the 
Old  and  not  the  New  that  he  was  seeking;  while  it 
was  the  New,  that  has  made  memorable  the  year  of 
our  Lord  1492. 


18 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


In  taking  this  introductory  glance  at  the  history  of 
four  hundred  years,  which  Prof.  Patton  has  told  in 
detail,  we  wish  but  to  mark  a  few  of  the  great  events, 
the  great  men  and  the  great  elements  that  have  con¬ 
tributed  to  make  that  history  most  notable  in  the  life 
of  the  modern  world. 

It  was  not  long  after  Columbus,  before  the  Span¬ 
iards,  the  Portuguese,  the  English,  the  Dutch  and 
the  French  perceived  that  something  strange  had 
been  discovered,  and  successive  voyages  made  it  clear 
that  a  new  continent  had  really  been  opened  to  the 
enterprise  of  European  nations;  that  it  was  rich 
in  mines  of  gold  and  silver;  that  they  had  only  to 
take  possession  of  it  by  hoisting  a  national  flag.  They 
found,  as  their  explorations  extended,  that  this  new 
continent  was  peopled  by  entirely  unknown  races,  in 
various  stages  of  barbarism  or  savagery,  whose  lan¬ 
guages  no  one  could  understand — tribes  inclined  to 
be  friendly  and  peaceable,  but  revengeful  and  treach¬ 
erous  if  treated  unjustly  and  unkindly.  All  the  var¬ 
ious  tribes  from  Mexico  to  Canada  had  the  same  gen¬ 
eral  peculiarities  of  feature  and  color,  different  from 
any  known  type  in  Asia  or  Africa.  What  was  the 
origin  of  this  strange  race?  Were  they  aborigines, 
or  did  their  remote  ancestors  come  from  Asia  ?  Their 
whole  history  is  involved  in  hopeless  mystery. 

Peaceful  relations  were  not  long  kept  up  between 
the  natives  and  the  adventurers  who  sought  the  new 
world  with  the  primary  view  of  improving  their  for¬ 
tunes.  Hence  the  first  century  of  American  history 
is  the  record  of  conflicts  with  Indians,  of  injustice 
and  cruelty,  producing  deadly  animosities  on  both 
sides,  until  the  natives  were  conquered  and  nearly 
exterminated. 

There  were  few  permanent  settlements,  but  there 
was  great  zeal  in  explorations,  in  which  Vespuccius, 
Ponce  de  Leon,  the  Cabots,  Cartier,  De  Soto  and  other 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  19 


famous  captains  and  navigators  distinguished  them¬ 
selves,  who,  on  their  return  home,  reported  lands  of 
mineral  wealth,  natural  fertility  and  great  beauty, 
but  uncultivated  and  sparsely  populated.  This  led  to 
a  great  emigration  of  adventurers,  chiefly  for  work¬ 
ing  the  mines.  The  result  was  the  enrichment  of 
Spain,  but  not  a  healthy  colonization  on  the  part  of 
that  or  any  other  European  nation. 

Nor  was  the  second  century  of  North  American 
history  fruitful  in  those  movements  and  characters 
which  have  much  interest  to  the  present  generation, 
except  that  it  was  the  period  of  colonization. 

Noting  particularly  the  English  and  French  settle¬ 
ments,  the  first  in  importance  was  that  of  Virginia 
under  the  patronage  of  James  I  of  England.  He  gave 
to  his  favorites  and  courtiers  immense  territories. 
He  also  gave  charters  to  companies  of  merchants  and 
others  more  or  less  favored,  who  hoped  to  be  en¬ 
riched,  not  by  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  but  by  the 
culture  of  tobacco  through  African  slaves.  The  first 
settlement  was  at  Jamestown,  1607,  made  chiefly  by 
sanguine  adventurers,  most  of  whom  were  broken- 
down  gentlemen,  or  younger  sons  of  noble  families, 
who  did  not  know  how  to  work.  They  were  so  unfor¬ 
tunate  also  as  to  quarrel  with  the  Indians.  In  conse¬ 
quence  they  were  molested,  discouraged  and  help¬ 
less,  and  their  numbers  dwindled  away  by  sickness 
and  famine.  Though  continually  reinforced  by  new 
arrivals,  the  Colony  did  not  thrive.  In  two  years  the 
able-bodied  men  numbered  only  about  two  hundred, 
and  only  forty  acres  of  land  were  brought  under  cul¬ 
tivation.  The  Colonists  were  idle  and  dissolute. 
When  John  Smith,  who  led  the  first  settlers,  returned 
to  England  discouraged,  there  were  only  sixty  men 
left  out  of  the  four  hundred  and  ninety  who  had  ar¬ 
rived  at  different  times.  In  1612,  under  Sir  Thomas 
Gates,  three  hundred  additional  Colonists  arrived, 


20 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


and  year  after  year  their  number  was  again  in¬ 
creased,  and  yet  in  twelve  years  the  settlement  con¬ 
tained  no  more  than  six  hundred  persons.  At  last 
the  Company  in  England  sent  over  one  hundred  and 
fifty  respectable  young  women  who  became  wives  of 
the  Colonists,  and  a  better  day  dawned.  In  1619,  the 
London  Comany  granted  to  the  people  the  right  to 
make  their  own  laws,  and  the  Houses  of  Burgesses 
became  the  first  legislative  assembly  in  the  New 
World,  and  enacted  laws  in  favor  of  industry,  virtue 
and  good  order.  In  a  few  years  the  population  of 
the  colony  numbered  nearly  four  thousand,  chiefly 
employed  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco,  then  worth 
on  the  London  docks  six  shillings  a  pound.  But  the 
people  were  not  all  voters.  Only  those  who  possessed 
a  landed  estate  had  the  right  of  suffrage.  The  aris¬ 
tocratic  organization  of  the  Colony  was  not  unfavor¬ 
able  to  property,  since  the  demand  for  tobacco  con¬ 
tinually  increased.  In  a  hundred  years  Virginia  was 
the  richest  and  most  populous  of  the  North  American 
colonies ;  ruled  by  planters  who  resembled  the  county 
gentlemen  of  England  in  their  habits,  their  senti¬ 
ments  and  their  pride.  In  religion  they  were  Epis¬ 
copalians,  and  in  their  social  life  they  were  aristo¬ 
crats  who  disdained  manual  labor,  which  was  done 
by  African  slaves. 

The  next  event  of  importance  in  American  Colonial 
history  was  the  settlement  of  New  England,  by  a  dif¬ 
ferent  class  of  men,  who  sought  a  home  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness  to  escape  religious  persecution.  In  1620  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  landed  at  Plymouth.  I  need  not 
dwell  on  their  lofty  sentiments,  their  fervent  piety, 
the  privation  and  sufferings  they  cheerfully  endured, 
exposed  to  innumerable  dangers,  which  developed 
among  them  extraordinary  self-reliance  and  the 
spirit  of  liberty.  No  rich  soil,  no  crops  of  tobacco  re¬ 
warded  their  hard  labors.  It  was  a  struggle  for  ex- 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  21 


istence  during  two  generations.  But  they  were 
brave,  industrious,  frugal  and  moral ;  they  conquered 
nature  when  she  was  most  unpropitious.  Among 
them  there  were  no  distinctions  of  rank.  They  were 
too  insignificant  to  excite  the  rapacity  of  royal  gov¬ 
ernors.  They  were  chiefly  farmers,  mechanics  and 
fishermen  who  had  few  wants  and  ambitious  aspira¬ 
tions,  with  a  sprinkling  of  educated  men  who  took 
their  place  naturally  as  leaders,  but  all  animated  by 
the  same  sentiments,  among  which  the  fear  of  God 
was  pre-eminent — a  noble  race  to  lay  the  foundation 
of  prosperity  and  power.  Progress  of  settlement  was 
slow  but  sure.  There  were  no  drawbacks,  as  in  Vir¬ 
ginia.  The  word  sent  back  by  the  Plymouth  Colony 
to  their  Puritan  friends  in  England  resulted  in  a 
further  emigration  in  1628,  and  the  founding  of  the 
Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay;  and  the  settlements 
spread.  The  Puritans  were  honest  in  their  dealings 
with  the  Indians,  with  whom  they  remained  at  peace 
until  jealousies  among  the  Indians  themselves  in¬ 
cited  war  upon  the  settlers.  Then  the  English  fight¬ 
ing  blood  aroused  and  conquered  a  bloody  peace,  last¬ 
ing  for  half  a  century.  After  that,  expansion  brought 
conflict,  and  the  Indians  were  driven  westward.  The 
New  England  Colonists  elected  their  own  governor 
and  magistrates,  and  in  their  town-meetings  freely 
expressed  their  sentiments.  For  a  hundred  years 
they  produced  few  distinguished  men  except  minis¬ 
ters.  They  knew  but  little  of  what  are  called  fine 
arts,  either  music,  architecture  or  painting.  No  sci¬ 
ences  received  an  impulse  from  them,  and  no  litera¬ 
ture  except  sermons.  Socially  they  were  not  inter¬ 
esting,  being  narrow  and  bigoted  and  indifferent  to 
amusements.  But  they  all  were  taught  the  rudi¬ 
ments  of  education  and  independence  of  mind.  In 
fervent  religious  life  they  never  were  excelled  by  any 
people  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Nor  in  individual 


22 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


sense  of  duty  were  they  ever  surpassed.  The  diffi¬ 
culty  of  earning  a  living  on  a  sterile  soil  prevented 
the  accumulation  of  property,  and  perhaps  led  them 
to  attach  undue  value  to  money.  Their  frugality 
and  poverty  made  them  appear  parsimonious.  Their 
whole  history  is  a  refutation  of  the  theories  of 
Buckle,  as  also  is  life  in  Scotland,  Switzerland  and 
Northern  Germany. 

The  colonization  of  Canada  (New  France)  by  the 
French,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and 
Delaware,  by  Dutch  and  English,  resembled  in  the 
main  that  of  New  England  rather  than  that  of  Vir¬ 
ginia  and  the  Carolinas.  But  all  the  colonists,  north 
and  south,  were  exposed  to  the  same  outward  dan¬ 
gers  in  the  hostility  of  the  various  Indian  tribes.  So 
far  as  they  have  a  common  history,  it  was  incessant 
conflicts  with  the  aborigines,  on  whose  hunting 
grounds  the  white  men  encroached,  until  the  Indians 
were  exterminated  or  driven  to  the  west — a  sad 
record  of  injustice  and  wrong  to  be  palliated  only  by 
seeming  necessity.  It  was  the  old  story  of  the  war¬ 
fare  between  barbarism  and  civilization.  William 
Penn's  experience  in  successful  dealings  with  the  In¬ 
dians  by  means  of  just  and  equitable  negotiations 
show  that  the  whole  black  record  of  the  white  man's 
oppression  of  the  Indian  has  been  utterly  needless — 
the  outgrowth  of  greed. 

It  was  not  until  the  18th  century  that  the  Colonies, 
whether  French  or  English,  can  be  said  to  have  had 
any  notable  history,  and  even  this  is  meagre — strug¬ 
gles  with  colonial  governors,  warlike  expeditions 
through  a  pathless  wilderness,  religious  persecutions, 
the  extension  of  frontier  settlements,  theological 
quarrels,  political  theories,  all  of  which  favored 
growth  and  development,  but  which  produced  no  his¬ 
toric  names,  except  of  theologians  like  Jonathan  Ed¬ 
wards,  No  great  character  arose  who  gave  a  new 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  23 


political  direction  to  colonial  growth.  There  were  no 
great  events  which  either  interest  or  instruct  us  until 
the  Seven  Years'  War  in  Europe  led  to  a  contest  be¬ 
tween  the  English  and  French  settlements,  resulting 
in  the  fall  of  Louisburg,  through  the  bravery  of  New 
England  troops  led  by  Sir  William  Pepperell,  a  Kit- 
tery  merchant,  and  the  conquest  of  Canada  under  the 
inspiration  of  William  Pitt,  when  James  Wolfe  was 
the  hero.  It  was  in  this  war  that  the  colonists  first 
distinguished  themselves,  fighting  for  the  mother- 
country  rather  than  for  their  own  interests;  that 
Washington,  the  greatest  name  in  our  history,  first 
appeared  upon  the  way,  as  an  aide  to  the  brave,  but 
obstinate  and  unfortunate,  General  Braddock. 

The  result  of  this  war  was  to  destroy  the  prestige 
of  English  soldiers,  and  to  fan  a  military  spirit  in 
the  colonies.  It  taught  the  raw  American  militia 
self-reliance,  and  incited  a  passion  for  national  inde¬ 
pendence.  The  colonists  numbered  now  nearly  four 
millions  of  people,  wearied  by  English  rule,  ambi¬ 
tious  to  become  a  nation,  and  bound  together  by  the 
ties  of  interest.  As  yet  no  light  in  science  had  arisen 
except  Benjamin  Franklin,  no  distinguished  literary 
men,  no  poets  or  historians,  no  great  political  writers, 
no  lawyers  even,  except  of  local  fame.  Books  were 
scarce  and  dear,  and  newspapers  few.  There  was  not 
a  merchant  in  the  country  whom  we  now  should  con¬ 
sider  rich,  probably  not  a  single  millionaire  from 
Portland  to  Charleston.  The  richest  men  were  the 
planters  of  Virginia  and  South  Carolina;  and  even 
the  foundations  of  their  prosperity  were  being  under¬ 
mined  by  negro  slaves  and  the  fall  in  the  price  of 
tobacco — the  great  staple  of  Southern  industry. 
The  ambitious  residences  of  the  planters,  built  in 
imitation  of  baronial  halls,  were  falling  into  decay, 
and  their  vast  estates  were  encumbered  and  mort¬ 
gaged,  which  led  to  the  rise  of  a  class  pf  lawyers  for 


24 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


the  collection  of  debts,  such  at  Jefferson  and  Patrick 
Henry  in  their  early  career,  and  also  to  the  increase 
of  the  yeomanry,  neither  rich  nor  poor,  among  whom 
was  developed  the  passion  for  liberty  and  opposition 
to  royal  governors,  as  seen  in  the  Virginia  House  of 
Burgesses. 

Twenty  years  of  peace  followed  the  Seven  Years' 
War,  but  they  were  not  years  of  rest.  It  was  a  period 
of  agitation  and  discontent.  Political  theories  inter¬ 
ested  every  class,  who  now  began  to  catch  glimpses 
of  the  future  extension  of  the  country.  It  was  also 
a  period  of  great  material  prosperity.  The  fisheries 
of  Newfoundland  were  a  source  of  profit  to  the  peo¬ 
ple  on  the  New  England  coast,  as  well  as  a  colonial 
trade.  Lumber  and  fish  were  exchanged  in  the  West 
India  Islands  for  molasses  and  rum — a  new  enter¬ 
prise,  which  demoralized  as  well  as  enriched.  Land 
was  cleared  of  forests  and  cultivated  from  the  East 
coast  towns  to  the  Hudson  river  and  beyond ;  and  the 
population,  chiefly  consisting  of  farmers,  who  still 
remained  poor,  was  yet  independent  and  intelligent. 
Beautiful  villages  arose  on  the  banks  of  every  river 
and  at  the  base  of  hills.  The  fear  of  Indians  passed 
away*  Some  fine  houses  were  built  in  the  larger 
towns,  and  luxuries  to  some  extent  were  enjoyed  by 
country  merchants  and  the  professional  classes.  Col¬ 
leges  and  academies  arose,  to  which  resorted  the  sons 
of  prosperous  farmers.  Mechanics  acquired  skill, 
and  some  articles  which  were  formerly  imported 
were  manufactrued  in  a  rough  way. 

But  the  most  marked  feature  of  the  time  was  po¬ 
litical  agitation  and  a  desire  to  be  free  from  the 
mother-country.  This,  indeed,  was  not  avowed  nor 
everywhere  desired ;  but  there  was  a  growing  impa¬ 
tience  of  restraints  imposed  by  the  English  Govern¬ 
ment,  and  the  haughty  tone  of  Colonial  governors 
and  judges  who  were  appointed  by  the  Crown.  In 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  25 


town  meetings  the  principles  of  liberty  were  dis¬ 
cussed.  Much  was  written  on  the  imposition  of  taxes 
toward  the  support  of  the  English  Government, 
weakened  by  the  Seven  Years'  War.  The  popular 
orators,  like  Samuel  Adams,  James  Otis  and  Patrick 
Henry,  declared  that  the  people  could  not  be  taxed 
without  their  own  consent.  Some  supported  this 
doctrine  from  those  abstract  rights  which  appeal  to 
consciousness,  and  others  from  the  constitutional 
history  of  England.  Nobody  felt  the  burden  of  tho 
taxes  imposed,  but  everybody  believed  that  the  prec¬ 
edent  of  taxation  would  be  abused  until  it  became  op¬ 
pressive.  Public  sentiment,  however,  was  nearly 
unanimous  that  taxation  by  Great  Britain  was  an 
infringement  on  liberties  and  charters,  which  were 
to  be  defended  as  sacred.  But  I  am  inclined  to  the 
belief  that  opposition  to  English  taxation  was  based 
on  the  secret  desire  to  be  free  from  England  alto¬ 
gether  as  much  as  on  fear  of  oppression — at  least, 
among  the  leaders  of  agitation,  like  John  Adams,  who 
clearly  saw  the  inevitable  extension  and  future  power 
of  the  Colonies,  especially  if  united.  The  spirit  of 
the  Colonies  from  north  to  south  was  aggressive, 
bold,  independent,  fearless,  with  a  probable  exagger¬ 
ation  of  their  military  strength,  natural  to  people 
who  lived  so  far  away  from  the  great  centres  of 
civilization,  and  accustomed  to  self-reliance  amid  the 
dangers  which  had  menaced  them  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years. 

Hence  arose  the  American  Revolution,  not  merely 
the  most  important  event  thus  far  in  American  his¬ 
tory,  but  one  of  the  greatest  events  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  in  view  of  the  remote  consequences. 
The  Colonists  were  very  poorly  prepared  for  a  contest 
with  the  greatest  power  in  Europe,  but  they  rushed 
into  it  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm;  their  earliest 
resistance  was  successful,  and  the  British  troops, 


26 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


mostly  veterans,  were  driven  from  Boston,  to  the 
immense  astonishment  and  chagrin  of  the  English 
government,  which  expected  a  ready  submission. 
Yet  resistance  would  not  have  been  successful  if  the 
defence  had  been  made  in  Europe,  with  its  good  roads 
and  means  of  transportation  for  regular  troops.  It 
was  so  in  America  rather  by  reason  of  the  impass¬ 
able  wilderness  which  skirted  the  settlements  than 
the  military  strength  of  the  Colonists.  Nor  would 
independence  probably  have  been  then  achieved  had 
it  not  been  for  the  transcendent  abilities,  patience 
and  patriotism  of  the  leader  whom  Providence 
pointed  out  for  them.  Though  defeated  in  almost 
every  battle,  and  driven  from  one  position  after  an¬ 
other,  leading  almost  the  life  of  a  fugitive,  with  a 
feeble  band,  like  David  in  the  Wilderness,  the  heroic 
Washington  persevered  long  after  success  had  given 
way  to  crushing  disaster,  amid  great  obstacles,  with 
treason  among  his  followers,  slanders  and  popular 
discontents;  without  money  and  with  scarcely  any 
military  equipments  for  his  raw  militia,  until  his 
cause  was  won — and  won  more  by  taking  advantage 
of  the  difficulties  which  nature  imposed  on  the  ene¬ 
my  than  by  the  skill  and  bravery  of  his  own  troops. 
Without  him  for  a  leader,  with  jealousies  and  rival¬ 
ries  on  the  part  of  generals  and  politicians,  and  grow¬ 
ing  apathy  on  the  part  of  the  people,  who,  as  the 
war  went  on,  tardily  and  reluctantly  enlisted,  and 
then  only  for  short  periods,  the  contest  would  have 
been  at  least  prolonged,  like  that  of  the  Greek  revo¬ 
lutionists  ;  and  if  France  had  not  come  to  the  rescue 
— not  from  sympathy  with  a  struggling  people  so 
much  as  from  the  desire  to  cripple  its  ancient  and  im¬ 
placable  British  foe — the  cause  might  have  been  giv¬ 
en  up  in  despair  until  fought  for  again  in  a  succeed¬ 
ing  generation. 

The  whole  conflict  to  a  thoughtful  and  religious 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  27 


mind  has  the  significance  of  a  providential  event,  or 
of  manifest  destiny  to  those  who  claim  to  be  philo¬ 
sophical  and  who  cast  their  eyes  on  the  immense  re¬ 
sources  which  were  sure  to  be  developed  at  no  distant 
day  in  the  unsettled  wilderness  which  stretched  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

As  we  speculate  on  the  results  of  this  memorable 
contest,  we  are  compelled  to  notice  the  special  attrac¬ 
tions  which  a  free  country  has  held  out  for  emigrants 
from  the  old  States  of  Europe :  the  unbounded  facil¬ 
ities  for  the  poor  man  to  earn  a  living  and  even  to 
become  rich ;  the  increasing  openings  for  enterprise 
of  all  kinds;  the  vast  expanse  of  public  lands  to  be 
entered  upon ;  the  legal  facilities  for  acquisition,  sale 
and  purchase  of  land — diametrically  opposite  in  pol¬ 
icy  to  the  conservative  restrictions  in  the  old  coun¬ 
tries  ;  the  unparalleled  and  rapid  increase  of  popula¬ 
tion,  doubling  every  twenty-five  years ;  the  resistless 
tide  of  emigration  toward  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
and  finally  to  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  the  universal  sense 
of  security  in  the  new  settlements,  and  the  feeling 
of  nationality  which  has  animated  and  united  the 
whole  population. 

With  political  unity  and  the  advance  of  material 
interests  leading  to  wealth  and  power,  we  do  not 
see,  it  must  be  confessed,  a  corresponding  progress 
in  morals  or  eminent  attainments,  in  literature  and 
science.  The  untoward  influences  retarding  this 
higher  growth  began  very  early.  The  war  of  the 
Revolution  relaxed  the  social  restraints  which  Pur¬ 
itanism  had  favored.  The  disbanded  soldiers  were 
neither  so  temperate  nor  industrious  as  their  fathers, 
and  the  vices  of  drunkenness  and  profanity  became 
alarming  even  in  the  land  of  steady  habits,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  looseness  in  religious  opinions.  The 
old  Calvinistic  divines  were  succeeded  in  many  par¬ 
ishes  by  more  indulgent  ministers  who  preached 


28 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


short  sermons  of  ethical  platitudes,  forgot  pastoral 
duties  and  had  a  keen  eye  to  professional  interests, 
while  many  a  sturdy  farmer  added  Jamaica  rum  to 
his  supposed  necessities,  and  ended  by  putting  a 
mortgage  on  his  paternal  lands. 

Scarcely  had  the  United  States  started  on  their  ca¬ 
reer  of  prosperity  after  their  successful  struggle 
with  England  when  they  were  exposed  to  a  new  dan¬ 
ger,  from  the  reluctance  of  many  States  to  adopt  the 
Constitution  which  the  wisest  and  greatest  states¬ 
men  of  the  land  had  framed  in  Philadelphia,  in  1787. 
John  Fiske  has  well  called  this  “the  critical  period 
in  American  history.”  There  were  in  the  Constitu¬ 
tional  Convention  every  variety  of  opinion,  and  inces¬ 
sant  debates.  There  were  hfty-five  men  in  all,  rep¬ 
resenting  the  different  States.  Among  the  more 
illustrious  were  Franklin,  Washington,  Hamilton  and 
Madison.  Differences  arose  as  to  the  ratio  of  repre¬ 
sentation,  the  mode  of  election  of  President  and  the 
powers  to  be  delegated  to  him,  the  functions  of  the 
two  legislative  Houses  and  the  election  of  members, 
the  Federal  courts  and  commercial  regulations. 
There  was  an  obvious  antagonism  between  the  North 
and  South,  and  between  the  larger  and  smaller 
States,  as  to  representations.  There  were  angry  dis¬ 
cussions  whether  slaves  should  be  considered  prop¬ 
erty  or  persons.  Some  leaned  toward  a  centralized 
government,  after  the  manner  of  monarchial  insti¬ 
tutions,  and  others  to  extreme  democracy.  After 
four  months  of  toilsome  compromises  the  Constitu¬ 
tion  was  signed,  as  the  best  that  could  be  made  under 
the  circumstances.  And  although,  at  the  time,  it  sat¬ 
isfied  no  one  in  all  its  parts,  it  has  been  characterized 
as  the  most  admirably  written  constitution  ^ver 
formulated,  at  once  the  simplest,  the  most  elastic, 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  29 


the  best  adapted  to  the  circumstances  for  which  it 
was  prepared.* 

The  next  thing  was  to  get  it  ratified, — but  some 
of  the  States  stood  aloof,  especially  New  York.  This 
called  out  Jay,  Hamilton  and  Madison  in  a  series  of 
able  papers  called  The  Federalist — an  immortal  State 
document  which  seemed  to  turn  the  balance,  and  the 
constitution  was  saved,  subject  to  future  amend¬ 
ments. 

Then  followed  the  election  of  President,  and  such 
was  the  universal  veneration  for  Washington,  re¬ 
spect  for  his  abilities  and  gratitude  for  his  services, 
that  he  was  unanimously  elected — the  wisest  choice 
that  could  possibly  be  made,  since  the  nation  was  safe 
under  his  guidance. 

His  administration  was  not  marked  by  stirring 
events,  but  by  great  sagacity.  It  was  memorable 
for  the  formation  of  the  two  great  political  parties 
which,  under  different  names,  have  since  divided  the 
nation,  the  Federalists,  and  the  Republicans  or  Dem¬ 
ocrats — the  one  led  by  Hamilton  and  the  other  by 
Jefferson.  The  Federalists  aimed  at  greater  central¬ 
ization  of  Federal  power ;  the  Republicans — so-named 
after  the  French  republican  clubs — leaned  to  State 
sovereignty.  The  first  party  was  composed  chiefly 
of  the  professional  and  educated  classes,  merchants, 
and  men  of  high  social  position ;  the  second  embraced 
the  common  people  and  their  ambitious  leaders  who 
sought  extension  of  the  suffrage — a  party  which  con¬ 
tinually  increased  until  political  power  fell  into  its 
hands,  never  afterward  to  be  lost,  until  their  democ¬ 
racy  made  itself  a  tool  of  the  slave-holding  artistoc- 
racy.  Washington  received  a  second  election,  and 
when  his  term  of  office  closed  he  gladly  retired  to  his 
beloved  Mount  Vernon,  and  in  a  few  years  died,  leav- 


*  “As  the  British  Constitution,  is  the  most  subtle  organism  which  has  proceeded 
from  progressive  history,  so  the  American  Constitution  is  the  most  wonderful  work 
ever  struck  off  at  a  given  time  by  the  brain  and  purpose  of  man.” — W.E.  Gladstone. 


30  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

l 

in g  the  most  unsullied  fame  than  any  man  of  modern 
times  has  earned. 

His  successor,  John  Adams,  had  rendered  great 
services,  both  before  and  during  the  revolution,  in 
advising  and  assisting  his  countrymen  to  shake  off 
English  domination ;  he  had  been  an  efficient,  though 
not  remarkable  diplomatist  in  Holland,  France  and 
England ;  and  was  an  honest  and  patriotic  statesman, 
an  industrious  legislator,  an  effective  public  speaker, 
a  brilliant  conversationalist  and  letter  writer,  with 
the  only  drawback  of  a  hasty,  irascible  and  disputa¬ 
tious  temper,  and  great  personal  vanity.  He  was 
a  Federalist  like  Washington,  and  made  few  re¬ 
movals  from  office.  He  retired  reluctantly  from  his 
high  position  and  withdrew  to  Quincy  to  nurse  his 
resentments,  especially  against  Jefferson,  the  suc¬ 
cessful  rival  who  succeeded  him  in  the  Presidency, 
having  been  elected  to  it  by  the  Republican  or  Anti- 
Federalist  party. 

The  eight-years’  administration  of  Jefferson,  like 
those  of  Washington  and  Adams,  was  not  fruitful 
in  matters  of  historical  interest,  but  was  marked  by 
great  public  prosperity.  Jefferson  was  a  philosopher 
and  a  man  of  peace,  and  although  provoked  almost 
beyond  endurance  by  the  injuries  which  France  and 
England  continued  to  inflict  on  American  commerce, 
and  by  the  impressment  of  seamen  and  hostility  to 
the  United  States,  yet  he  abstained  from  plunging 
the  nation  into  war.  He  made  a  great  mistake  in  his 
“embargo”,  which  pleased  only  those  who  had  no 
ships  to  rot  on  the  wharves,  without  inflicting  serious 
injury  on  British  manufactures,  and  he  made  himself 
ridiculous  by  his  gunboats  as  a  means  of  national  de¬ 
fence.  With  him  anything  was  better  than  war. 
And  here  he  was  probably  right,  considering  the  de¬ 
fenseless  state  of  the  country  with  all  its  financial 
embarrassments.  His  great  aim  was  to  pay  off  the 


HISTORY.  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  31 


national  debt,  and  develop  industries.  But  he  was 
hostile  to  a  national  bank  and  Federal  tariffs  on 
foreign  goods  for  protection  to  domestic  manufac¬ 
tures.  He  threw  his  influence  into  measures  foi*  the 
welfare  of  farmers  rather  than  of  manufacturers  and 
merchants.  As  his  party  had  acquired  undisputed 
ascendency,  old  political  animosities  died  out.  Al¬ 
though  a  Democrat  (as  the  Republican  party  had 
come  to  be  called),  succeeding  a  Federalist  adminis¬ 
tration,  he  made  very  few  removals  from  office.  His 
policy  was  pacific  and  conciliatory,  and  his  popular¬ 
ity  increased  with  the  national  prosperity.  He  was 
the  most  long-sighted  of  all  American  politicians, 
seeing  that  political  power  hereafter  would  be  lodged 
with  the  common  people,  and  he  adapted  himself  to 
their  wants,  their  prejudices  and  their  aspirations. 

Though  born  on  a  plantation,  he  was  democratic  in 
his  sympathies.  He  was  no  orator  like  John  Adams ; 
indeed,  he  could  not  make  a  speech  at  all;  but  he 
could  write  public  documents  with  masterly  abilities, 
and  was  fond  of  writing  letters.  His  greatest  feat 
was  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  from  France,  but  his 
administration  was  most  memorable  for  departing 
from  the  policy  of  Washington  and  Adams,  in  break¬ 
ing  away  from  the  courtly  formality  and  dignity  of 
official  life  and  inaugurating  an  era  of  popular  “re¬ 
publican  simplicity.”  The  day  of  strong  Federalism 
in  government  gave  way  to  the  reactionary  Democ¬ 
racy.  Jefferson  was  an  original  thinker  and  a 
natural  opponent  of  authority,  whether  in  politics  or 
religion.  For  his  own  epitaph  he  described  himself 
as  “Author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  of 
the  statute  of  Virginia  for  religious  freedom.” 

Jefferson  bequeathed  to  his  successor,  Madison, 
the  responsibility  of  settling  the  growing  difficulties 
with  Great  Britain.  Madison  was  the  disciple,  ad¬ 
mirer  and  friend  of  Jefferson,  through  whose  influ- 


32 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ence  he  had  been  weaned  from  Federalism,  which 
originally  he  had  adopted.  He,  too,  one  of  the  most 
able  statesmen  of  the  times,  and  one  of  the  most  en¬ 
lightened,  would  have  kept  the  country  from  drifting 
into  war  had  that  been  in  his  power.  He  clearly  saw 
that  the  nation  was  unprepared — that  it  had  neither 
an  army  or  navy  of  any  size ;  but  the  unabated  insults 
of  the  English  government,  the  continual  injuries  it 
inflicted  on  American  commerce,  and  its  haughty 
and  arrogant  tone  in  all  negotiations,  were  infuriat¬ 
ing  Congress  and  the  American  people.  It  became 
clear  that  war  was  simply  a  choice  of  evils — that  the 
nation  must  either  submit  to  humiliation  and  dis¬ 
honor,  or  risk  disaster,  the  defeat  of  armies  and  the 
increase  of  the  national  debt.  The  war  of  1812  was 
without  glory  on  the  land,  being  a  miserable  series 
of  blunders  and  misfortunes  on  the  part  of  generals, 
and  without  results  at  all  gratifying  to  American 
pride.  And  it  was  also  regarded  as  unnecessary  by 
those  who  were  most  injured  by  naval  depredations. 
It  was  popular  only  among  those  who  lived  in  the  in¬ 
terior,  and  who  cherished  the  traditions  of  Bunker 
Hill  and  of  Yorktown.  Its  calamities  were  indeed 
partially  redeemed  by  naval  successes,  which  shed 
renown  on  such  captains  as  Decatur,  Barron  and 
Bainbridge.  It  might  have  been  more  successful  if 
the  whole  people  had  been  united  in  it,  to  accomplish 
a  distinctive  practical  object,  as  in  the  French  and 
Indian  War  when  Canada  was  conquered,  or  in  the 
Revolutionary  struggle  for  liberty.  But  it  had  no 
specific  aims  except  to  vindicate  national  honor.  As 
such  it  was  not  without  important  results.  It  con¬ 
vinced  England,  at  least,  that  the  Americans  would 
no  longer  be  trifled  with,  and  that  all  future  hostili¬ 
ties,  whichever  way  they  terminated,  would  inflict 
evils  without  corresponding  benefits.  The  war  doubt¬ 
less  gave  a  great  stimulus  to  the  infant  manufactures 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  S3 


of  the  country,  and  various  kinds  of  industries,  since 
the  people  were  driven  to  them  by  necessity,  and  thus 
helped  to  build  up  New  England  in  spite  of  its  ruined 
commerce.  The  war  also  scattered  wealth  and  in¬ 
flated  prices.  All  wars  have  this  effect ;  but  it  demor¬ 
alized  the  people  like  the  Revolutionary  War  itself, 
notwithstanding  the  great  bonus  it  bestowed. 

Both  countries  were  glad  when  the  war  termi¬ 
nated,  for  both  were  equal  sufferers,  and,  to  all  ap¬ 
pearances,  gained  but  trifling  advantages.  In  the 
peace  which  was  consummated  at  Ghent,  of  which 
John  Quincy  Adams  and  Henry  Clay  were  the  chief 
negotiators,  nothing  was  said  about  the  injuries 
which  provoked  the  contest,  but  they  never  were  for¬ 
gotten,  and  the  United  States  were  doubtless  put  on 
a  better  footing  with  foreign  powers.  From  that 
time  national  progress  was  more  rapid  than  before, 
and  all  classes  settled  down  to  peaceful  prosperity 
and  to  improving  their  condition. 

The  only  event  of  importance  which  occurred  dur¬ 
ing  Madison's  administration,  after  the  close  of  the 
"war,  was  the  cession  of  Florida  to  the  United  States 
in  1819,  negotiated  by  John  Quincy  Adams,  but  op¬ 
posed  by  Henry  Clay.  The  latter  great  man  had  now 
become  one  of  the  most  prominent  figures  in  Amer¬ 
ican  politics,  and  his  entrance  upon  the  political 
arena  marked  the  growing  importance  of  Congress 
in  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  country  at  large.  From 
this  time  the  abler  statesmen  in  the  National  Legis¬ 
lature  obtained  by  their  debates  a  greater  promi¬ 
nence  in  the  public  eye  than  even  the  Executive 
itself. 

This  was  true  especially  during  the  administration 
of  Madison's  successor,  Monroe,  who  was  more  dis¬ 
tinguished  for  respectability  than  eminent  abilities — 
the  last  of  the  “Virginia  dynasty".  His  name  has 
been  particularly  associated  with  a  declaration  made 


34 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


in  his  message  to  Congress  in  March,  1822,  that,  “as 
a  principle,  the  American  Continents,  by  the  free  and 
independent  position  they  have  assumed  and  main¬ 
tained,  are  henceforth  not  to  be  considered  as  sub¬ 
jects  for  future  colonization  by  any  foreign  power.” 
This  is  known  as  “the  Monroe  Doctrine”,  although  it 
should  probably  be  credited  to  John  Quincy  Adams, 
Monroe’s  Secretary  of  State. 

During  the  times  of  “good  feeling”  and  absence  of 
party  animosities  which  marked  the  administration 
of  Monroe,  two  great  men,  Daniel  Webster  and  Henry 
Clay,  appeared  in  the  halls  of  Congress  destined  to 
make  a  mark  in  the  domestic  history  of  the  nation. 
And  there  was  one  event  which  happened  during  the 
same  period,  the  political  consequences  of  which  were 
of  great  importance,  the  work  of  these  rising  states¬ 
men  rather  than  of  the  President.  This  was  the 
famous  Missouri  Compromise,  marking  the  first  con¬ 
flict  between  slavery  and  freedom — a  question  which 
thenceforward  dwarfed  all  other  subjects  of  national 
interest.  Hitherto  the  great  question  had  been  kept 
in  the  background,  but  in  1818  a  bill  was  introduced 
into  Congress  proposing  the  admission  of  Missouri 
into  the  Union,  which  when  it  reached  the  Senate 
was  amended  by  Mr.  Tallmadge  of  New  York,  pro¬ 
viding  that  slaves  should  not  be  further  introduced 
into  the  State.  Angry  discussions  followed,  and  al¬ 
though  the  amendment  was  adopted,  the  question 
was  not  lost  sight  of,  but  for  two  years  engaged  the 
intensest  interest  of  Congress  and  the  public,  until 
in  1821  a  compromise  was  effected  by  ^lenry  Clay, 
by  which  slavery  was  forever  excluded  from  United 
States  territory  north  of  36°  30  of  latitude,  and  west 
of  the  western  boundary  of  Missouri.  This  admitted 
Missouri  as  a  slave  State,  but  drew  the  line  of  de¬ 
marcation  at  that. 

The  administration  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  Mon- 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  35 


roe’s  successor,  was  unmarked  by  important  political 
events,  and  he  quietly  continued  the  policy  of  his  pre¬ 
decessor,  making  but  few  removals  from  office.  He 
had  been  a  Federalist,  but  swung  around  to  the  Re¬ 
publican  or  Democratic  party.  No  one  since  Wash¬ 
ington  was  so  little  of  a  partisan  as  this  President, 
and  no  one  was  ever  more  conscientious  in  the  dis¬ 
charge  of  the  duties  of  his  office.  But  he  was  not 
popular.  Neither  his  habits  nor  opinions  gained  him 
friends,  while  they  created  many  enemies,  the  most 
implacable  of  whom  was  General  Jackson,  who  con¬ 
sidered  himself  cheated  out  of  the  Presidency  by  a 
supposed  coalition  between  Adams  and  Clay,  on 
which  he  harped  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

In  1829  the  public  career  of  John  Quincy  Adams 
apparently  closed,  but  his  best  days  were  yet  to  come 
as  the  champion  of  human  freedom  in  the  House  of 
Representatives.  His  most  distinctive  trait  of  char¬ 
acter  was  moral  heroism.  He  had  a  lofty  self-respect 
which  prevented  him  from  conciliating  foes,  or  re¬ 
warding  friends;  an  old  Puritan,  sternly  incorrupt¬ 
ible,  disdaining  policy  in  the  inflexible  sense  of  duty 
and  personal  dignity,  learned  without  genius,  elo¬ 
quent  without  rhetoric,  experienced  without  wisdom, 
and  religious  without  orthodoxy,  yet  securing  uni¬ 
versal  respect  from  his  austere  integrity  and  un¬ 
doubted  patriotism,  the  last  of  the  great  statesmen, 
except  the  military  heroes,  who  reached  exalted  rank 
from  the  services  he  had  previously  rendered. 

The  elevation  of  Andrew  Jackson  to  the  Presidency 
was  memorable  for  a  new  departure  in  the  political 
history  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a  man  of  re¬ 
markable  force.  Born  poor,  he  had,  almost  without 
friends,  made  his  own  way,  becoming  lawyer,  Con¬ 
gressman,  United  States  Senator,  Judge  of  the  Su¬ 
preme  Court  of  Tennessee,  volunteer  militia  officer, 
Major-General  and  Department  Commander,  and 


36 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


Governor  of  Florida.  He  had  rendered  undoubted 
services  in  the  war  of  1812,  especially  by  his  brilliant 
victory  at  New  Orleans,  and  he  also  had  shown  con¬ 
siderable  ability  in  conflicts  with  the  Indians,  which 
gave  him  great  popularity.  But  he  was  accused  of 
being  ignorant,  prejudiced,  unscrupulous,  and  self- 
willed.  He  began  his  administration  by  making  the 
members  of  his  Cabinet  his  tools  or  clerks,  and  giv¬ 
ing  his  confidence  to  a  few  unofficial  admirers,  called 
the  “Kitchen  Cabinet”.  So  far  as  he  was  ruled  at  all 
it  was  by  these  “machine  politicians”,  whose  policy 
was  a  division  of  the  spoils  of  office.  At  the  start 
Jackson  foolishly  quarreled  with  nearly  all  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  his  Cabinet,  because  their  wives  would  not 
associate  with  a  woman  of  inferior  social  position 
who  had  married  the  Secretary  of  War.  Next,  he 
turned  out  most  of  the  office-holders  whom  his  pre¬ 
decessors  had  appointed,  who  were  not  his  partisans, 
on  the  infamous  doctrine :  “To  the  victor  belongs  the 
spoils”,  a  movement  which  unfortunately  became 
the  policy  of  his  successors  of  all  parties,  as  a  party 
measure.  This  course  cannot  be  sustained  by  justice 
or  by  argument  from  experience,  either  in  conserving 
party  strength  or  advancing  official  efficiency  in 
charge  of  the  national  interests.  It  causes  intense 
hatreds  and  bitter  disappointments.  Jackson  made 
ten  times  more  removals  in  one  month  than  all  his 
predecessors  had  done  before  him,  and  this  without 
regard  to  fitness  for  office,  but  avowedly  to  reward 
partisans,  in  a  time  of  intense  political  partisanship. 

It  was  not  long  after  his  inauguration  before  Jack- 
son  became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with  the  United 
States  Bank.  The  notes  of  this  bank  were  as  good 
as  gold,  and  it  had  proved  useful  in  the  regulation 
of  the  currency,  in  fact,  a  necessity  which  had  the 
confidence  of  business  men  throughout  the  country. 
Under  the  pretense  that  it  was  an  engine  of  political 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  37 


corruption  the  President  waged  an  uncompromising 
war  until  he  effected  his  purpose  of  crippling*;  it.  .1 
need  not  detail  the  financial  troubles  which  ensued 
when  the  great  central  bank,  the  Federal  balance- 
wheel  of  all  money  operations,  was  stopped,  and  when 
State  banks — called  “Pets” — sprung  up  everywhere, 
without  sufficient  capital,  to  which  the  public  funds 
were  intrusted  until  they  all  burst  together  in  the 
financial  crash  of  1837,  and  the  general  suspension  of 
specie  payments.  In  justice  I' must  add  that  this 
crash  was  not  caused  wholly  by  the  winding  up  of 
the  United  States  Bank,  but  largely  by  an  enormous 
inflation  of  paper  money  in  the  craze  for  universal 
speculation,  to  which  everybody  was  tempted  by  the 
prosperity  of  the  country,  arising  from  its  rapid  set¬ 
tlement  and  development. 

But  more  important  than  the  President’s  war  on 
the  United  States  Bank  was  the  compromise  tariff  of 
1833,  which  led  to  the  greatest  series  of  debates  ever 
seen  before  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  and  in  which 
Clay,  Webster,  and  Calhoun  were  the  parliamentary 
giants.  The  United  States  Senate  never  has  had 
such  famous  debates  as  during  the  administration  of 
General  Jackson.  He  seemed  to  call  out  all  the  bitter 
hostilities  which  had  been  buried  since  the  times  of 
Jefferson.  The  extraordinary  ability  which  was  de¬ 
veloped  at  this  time  in  both  Houses  of  Congress,  but 
especially  in  the  Senate,  was  directed  to  everything 
of  national  interest.  Into  all  political  subjects  did 
statesmen  cast  their  fearless  eyes — questions  of  fi¬ 
nance,  political  economy,  internal  improvements, 
manufactures,  commerce,  and  Indian  difficulties. 
Congressional  legislation  during  the  memorable  eight 
years  of  Jackson’s  rule  is  exceedingly  interesting. 
The  opposition  was  conducted  by  the  Whig  party,  suc¬ 
cessors  of  the  Federalists,  friends  of  the  United 
States  Bank,  of  a  tariff  involving  protection  to  in- 


38 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


fant  industries,  and  generally  of  what  the  Democrats 
opposed.  The  Whig  press  was  wonderfully  active,  not 
only  in  discussing  public  measures,  but  in  caricatur¬ 
ing  public  men,  especially  the  President  himself,  who 
acted  from  the  counsels  of  his  own  will  alone,  while 
everybody  approved  or  must  submit  to  the  penalty 
of  his  displeasure. 

The  debates  on  the  tariff  settled  nothing.  What 
question  of  political  economy  ever  was  settled,  any 
more  than  doctrines  of  theology?  For  more  than 
half  a  century  our  legislators  have  attempted  to  solve 
this  puzzle — whether  a  tariff  sould  be  imposed  for 
revenue  only,  or  for  the  protection  of  various  indus¬ 
tries — but  the  question  was  probably  never  more 
ably  discussed  than  by  Clay,  Calhoun  and  Webster  at 
this  period.  They  showed  themselves  to  be  states¬ 
men,  like  Sir  Robert  Peel  and  Gladstone,  rather  than 
mere  politicians  such  as  have  generally  been  elected 
to  succeed  them. 

There  is  only  one  other  Jacksonian  subject  to 
which  the  limits  of  this  sketch  will  allow  me  to  allude, 
and  that  is  the  nullification  movement  in  South  Caro¬ 
lina,  which  grew  out  of  a  jealousy  of  Northern 
growth  and  the  tenacity  of  slave  institutions,  leading 
to  the  great  parliamentary  discussion  in  which  Web¬ 
ster  and  Hayne  were  the  combatants.  To  the  credit 
of  General  Jackson  that  movement  was  summarily 
put  down.  In  this  affair  the  imperious  military  pres¬ 
ident — who  was  patriotically  devoted  to  the  Union — 
rendered  an  important  public  service,  the  result  of 
which  was  to  stave  off  the  slavery  contest  until  the 
country  was  better  prepared  for  it.  Moreover,  it 
must  be  admitted  that,  stormy  as  was  the  adminis¬ 
tration  of  Jackson,  and  high-handed  as  were  some  of 
his  most  important  measures,  the  country  was  seem¬ 
ingly  never  more  prosperous.  His  sturdy  will  was 
serviceable  also  in  favorable  settlements  of  outstand- 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  39 


ing  disputes  with  foreign  nations— France,  Spain, 
Naples  and  Denmark,  besides  some  important  foreign 
treaties.  Nor  was  the  country  ever  marked  by  grand¬ 
er  popular  agitations  leading  to  an  enlightened  public 
opinion  on  national  issues.  The  whole  land  was 
aroused  with  the  eloquence  of  popular  orators  on  al¬ 
most  every  subject  of  human  interest,  and  remark¬ 
ably  separated  from  questions  of  mere  material  wel¬ 
fare — discussions  and  lectures  without  end  on  slav¬ 
ery,  on  peace  and  war,  on  temperance,  and  on  every 
other  social  reform.  The  platform,  for  a  time, 
seemed  to  be  as  great  a  power  as  the  pulpit  or  the 
press.  The  popular  discussions  of  that  day  prepared 
the  way  for  the  higher  grade  of  intellectual  speakers 
who  not  many  years  after  began  to  appear — the  pe¬ 
riod  when  great  lecturers  arose  like  Everett,  Holmes, 
Emerson,  Giles,  Beecher,  Greeley,  Sumner,  Phillips, 
followed  by  Chapin,  Whipple,  Curtis  and  a  host  of 
others  whose  literary  disquisitions  were  nearly  as  ex¬ 
citing  as  harangues  on  political  and  social  questions. 
For  a  generation  the  platform  held  its  own  as  a  great 
popular  power,  and  then  gradually  passed  away,  like 
other  fashions  useful  in  their  day,  to  be  succeeded  by 
magazines  and  periodicals  whose  highest  triumph  is 
at  the  present  time  assisted  by  pictorial  art. 

Concerning  the  strife  of  parties  and  the  succession 
of  administrations  after  Jackson,  I  need  say  nothing. 
Ordinary  political  history,  after  all,  is  only  a  strand 
in  the  rope.  True  history  embraces  the  development 
of  agriculture  and  manufactures,  of  science,  of  art, 
of  literature,  of  morals,  and  of  religion  as  well — all 
social  growth — a  boundless  field,  which  no  historian 
can  fully  master. 

The  prominent  element  of  interest  in  the  history  of 
the  United  States,  from  Jackson  to  Lincoln,  is  almost 
unwritten  except  in  statistical  tables,  and  that  was, 
the  marvellous  expansion  of  the  country  in  every  re- 


40 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


spect.  The  tide  of  immigration  set  in  from  almost 
every  European  nation  until  it  modified  all  forms  of 
American  life.  Not  merely  the  poor  and  the  miser¬ 
able,  but  the  enterprising  and  adventurous  sought 
the  western  continent  to  improve  their  condition,  un¬ 
til  the  whole  country  was  settled  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Mississippi.  The  grain  of  mustard  seed  had 
become  a  tree  for  all  the  birds  of  the  air.  With  the 
progress  of  emigration  to  the  western  States  all 
kinds  of  industry  had  been  developed.  The  country 
was  getting  rich ;  the  national  debt  was  paid  off ;  col¬ 
leges  were  being  planted  in  every  States ;  the  prime¬ 
val  forests,  where  the  red  man  had  roved  for  a  pre¬ 
carious  support  from  his  bow  and  arrows,  had  be¬ 
come  fertile  fields ;  cereals  were  exported  to  Europe 
to  feed  starving  populations,  while  peace  and  plenty 
reigned  in  every  section  of  the  land.  Never  was  a 
country  more  bountilfully  blessed.  The  reports  of 
its  wonderful  fertility,  its  industrial  resources,  its 
mechanical  inventions,  especially  in  the  application  of 
steam  to  machinery,  navigation  and  rapid  transit,  its 
philanthropical  enterprises,  its  educational  move¬ 
ments  and  its  free  institutions  reached  every  corner 
of  the  Old  World  and  turned  the  eyes  of  suffering 
peoples  to  this  poor  man's  paradise,  where  every  fa¬ 
cility  was  afforded  for  getting  an  honest  living,  un¬ 
molested  by  government  enactments  and  the  tryanny 
of  caste. 

The  accidental  discovery  of  gold  in  California  in 
1848  gave  a  fresh  impulse  to  emigration,  enterprise 
and  ambition.  Streams  of  western-bound  transmi¬ 
gration  crossed  the  Plains,  passed  the  Rocky  moun¬ 
tains  and  the  great  interior  basis,  and  found  lodg¬ 
ments  all  along  the  route,  until  the  whole  continent 
was  opened  up  to  colonists,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  with  mines  of  untold  wealth  and  every  va¬ 
riety  of  fruits  and  cereals  known  to  civilization;  for 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  41 


the  expanse  of  territory  provided  every  diversity  of 
climate,  from  seaboard  to  mountain-top,  from  the 
tropics  to  the  ice ;  and  this  vast  continent  was  peopled 
by  a  few  people,  under  a  centralized  but  almost  unfelt 
government  at  Washington,  of  whose  power  the  mak¬ 
ers  of  the  Constitution  had  never  dreamed.  Material 
life  assumed  a  new  aspect,  and  gigantic  fortunes 
arose  far  exceeding  those  known  to  ancient  aristoc¬ 
racies. 

But  there  was  one  dark  cloud  which,  amid  this  gen¬ 
eral  prosperity,  arose  upon  the  horizon,  giving  in¬ 
tense  solicitude  to  statesmen  in  Congress  and  the 
people  in  their  assemblies,  and  this  was  the  agitation 
caused  by  the  persistent  growth  of  negro  slavery. 
This,  little  by  little,  entered  more  and  more  deeply 
into  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  at  last  became  a 
new  political  force  of  extraordinary  influence.  The 
eyes  of  the  more  thrifty  and  intelligent  part  of  the 
nation  were  opened  to  the  most  monstrous  absurdity 
that  ever  confronted  the  human  intellect: — that 
from  three  to  five  millions  of  people  were  ground 
down  by  hopeless  and  bitter  slavery  under  a  Consti¬ 
tution  which  proclaimed  unbounded  liberty;  and, 
further,  that  this  bondage  was  intolerable,  cruel,  in¬ 
human,  hopeless — that  there  was  no  apparent  rem¬ 
edy  for  the  most  disgraceful  injustice  under  the  sun, 
and  that  the  mere  agitation  of  the  subject  created  bit¬ 
ter  animosities  among  freemen  themselves,  and 
threatened  National  disunion.  Gradually  all  other 
subjects  of  legislation  paled  before  the  tremendous 
issues  which  became  obvious  to  every  thinking  mind. 
Even  tariffs  and  internal  improvements,  which  had 
been  for  forty  years  the  leading  subjects  of  discus¬ 
sion  in  Congress,  lost  their  interest  in  comparison 
with  the  mighty  evil  which  apparently  was  to  divide 
the  North  from  the  South  and  make  two  rival  and 
hostile  nations  instead  of  one  united  power.  Con- 


) 


42  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

gressional  and  even  Presidential  elections  began  to 
hinge  on  their  connection  with  the  slavery  agitation. 
Those  very  men  whom  we  now  venerate  as  the  most 
enlightened  and  philanthropic  of  patriots  were  ma¬ 
ligned,  slandered  and  persecuted,  because  they  strove 
to  enlighten  the  National  conscience  as  to  the  evils 
of  slavery.  Animosities  daily  increased  between 
statesmen  from  different  sections  of  the  country. 
The  South  looked  with  alarm  and  hatred  upon  all  who 
advocated  human  rights,  and  with  jealousy  at  the 
growing  power  of  the  free  States,  while  the  North 
beheld  with  astonishment  and  indignation  the  out¬ 
rages  which  slave-owners  inflicted  on  the  most  pa¬ 
tient  and  gentle  people  who  ever  endured  the  yoke 
of  bondage,  and  with  apprehension  saw  them  reach¬ 
ing  out  after  more  territory,— for,  as  the  thriftless 
labor  exhausted  the  soil,  slavery  must  expand  or  die. 

Such  a  state  of  things  could  not  last  amid  the 
mighty  commotions  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The 
inevitable  conflict  must  come.  The  blinded  South 
would  not  listen  to  reason  or  humanity,  and  became 
the  aggressor,  with  the  main  object  of  increasing 
slave  territory  and  dividing  the  Union.  In  vain  the 
eloquent  memories  of  Clay  and  Webster,  the  adroit¬ 
ness  of  Douglas  and  Seward:  Southern  leaders,  like 
Calhoun  and  Hayne,  had  prepared  the  Southern  mind 
for  disunion,  under  the  plea  of  State  sovereignty, 
which  Southern  politicians  had  ever  advocated,  for- 
seeing  difficulties  which  they  dared  not  openly  dis¬ 
cuss.  The  extension  and  intensification  of  the  con¬ 
test  over  Kansas  and  the  new  States,  the  disruption 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise  in  the  interest  of  slav¬ 
ery,  the  growth  of  the  anti-slavery  sentiment  in  the 
North,  and  the  election  of  Lincoln  as  President,  were 
skilfully  used  to  “fire  the  Southern  heart”  to  overt 
rebellion;  the  guns  of  organized  State  treason  at 
length  fired  upon  the  Federal  Fort  Sumter,  and  the 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  43 


mightiest  contest  of  the  nineteenth  century  was 
fairly  opened. 

It  is  not  my  object  to  present  even  the  outline  of 
that  tremendous  war,  the  details  of  which  are  nar¬ 
rated  with  accuracy  and  candor  in  the  work  before 
us,  in  the  course  of  which  such  great  names  as  Lin¬ 
coln,  Grant,  Lee  and  others  became  prominent  and 
immortal.  What  can  be  said  in  a  few  sentences  of  a 
contest  which  lasted  four  years  and  in  which  more 
than  a  million  of  men  perished,  and  from  five  to  eight 
thousand  millions  of  dollars  were  expended?  The 
sincere  but  misguided  State  patriotism  of  the  South 
made  a  magnificent  fight,  and  the  triumph  of  the 
North  was  won  not  so  much  by  superior  genius  and 
patriotic  fervor  as  by  its  overwhelming  strength,  to 
which  the  Southern  leaders  had  been  blind  because 
that  strength  was  latent. 

The  life  of  any  one  of  the  prominent  generals  pre¬ 
sents  more  material  for  history  than  the  whole  mili¬ 
tary  career  of  Washington,  and  the  short  adminis¬ 
tration  of  Lincoln  more  than  that  of  the  united  lives 
of  all  the  previous  Presidents.  Who  can  present, 
within  the  narrow  limits  of  an  introductory  essay, 
the  patience,  the  fortitude,  the  sagacity  and  the  pa¬ 
triotism  of  the  man  whom  Providence  raised  up  from 
humble  life  to  guide  the  fortunes  of  a  mighty  nation  ? 
And  who  in  a  few  lines  can  show  the  military  genius 
of  the  great  generals  who  brought  the  war  to  a  suc¬ 
cessful  issue  ? 

What  was  this  issue  ?  It  was  the  liberation  of  mil¬ 
lions  of  slaves  whose  cries  of  despair  had  ascended 
to  heaven.  It  was  the  wiping  out  of  a  national  dis¬ 
grace  which  insulted  humanity.  It  was  the  preserva¬ 
tion  of  a  Union  whose  mission  for  good  is  infinite.  It 
was  the  final  elevation  of  the  Southern  half  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  population  of  American  to  an  equality 
with  the  triumphant  North,  and  the  development  of 


44 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


resources  which  Southern  politicians  never  dreamed 
of  in  the  most  prosperous  period  of  their  old-time 
power.  It  was  the  opening  up  of  Southern  territory 
to  trade,  manufactures  and  industries  which  have 
almost  revolutionized  it.  It  was  the  burial  of  a  sub¬ 
ject  of  contention  which  had  kept  forty  millions  of 
people  in  perpetual  conflict,  and  the  removal  of  which 
left  them  free  to  pursue  their  wonderful  career. 

With  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  a  renewed  and  still 
more  marvellous  expansion  of  energies  took  place  in 
every  part  of  the  land,  and  in  every  conceivable  form. 
The  increase  in  wealth  and  industries  was  perfectly 
amazing.  The  mind  is  bewildered  by  their  contem¬ 
plation.  It  is  like  surveying  the  stars  rather  than  the 
moon.  No  intellect  can  grasp  the  mighty  develop¬ 
ment  in  mines,  in  agricultural  wealth,  in  commerce, 
in  manufactures,  in  inventions,  in  steam  navigation, 
in  railways,  in  the  electrical  applications  of  power,  in 
education,  in  philanthropy,  in  the  erection  of 
churches,  in  the  endowment  of  colleges  and  schools, 
in  the  spread  of  liberal  ideas.  Even  Canada  may 
practically  become  an  integral  part  of  this  great 
Anglo-Saxon  empire.  The  little  mountain  stream  is 
now  a  mighty  river  whose  tributaries  fertilize  mil¬ 
lions  of  square  miles  of  soil  as  rich  as  the  Babylonian 
plains.  The  little  sapling  at  Plymouth  Rock  is  now 
a  tree  whose  branches  conceal  the  heaven  itself. 
Where  is  the  end  to  be  ?  What  country  has  such  sub¬ 
lime  destinies?  A  generation  has  not  passed  away 
since  the  war  without  seeing  the  population  of  the 
country  doubled,  and  its  wealth,  real  and  personal, 
increased  to  more  than  sixty  thousand  millions  of 
dollars. 

Thus  are  all  events  overruled  for  good.  The  war, 
which  some  thought  would  exhaust  and  ruin  the 
country,  opened  channels  of  unexpected  development. 
Thus  is  Providence  prodigal  of  the  sufferings  and  the 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  45 


lives  of  men,  and  still  more  of  their  wealth,  to  bring 
forth,  out  of  disaster,  blessings  which  could  never 
be  foreseen.  This  is  the  most  impressive  lesson 
which  history  teaches,  seen  alike  in  the  struggles  of 
ancient  Greece  and  the  conflicts  of  most  modern  na¬ 
tions — the  everlasting  burning  of  the  world-phoenix 
to  send  forth  undying  hopes  and  bring  about  per¬ 
petual  progress. 

All  this  is  the  bright  side  of  the  picture.  There  is, 
alas !  another  side,  fraught  with  great  peril,  bringing 
solicitude  to  every  thoughtful  mind. 

All  countries  have  peculiar  dangers  and  difficulties 
to  contend  with,  which  sap  the  foundations  of  true 
National  prosperity.  In  the  old  Roman  world  dis¬ 
proportionate  fortunes,  slavery,  egotism  and  social 
vices  undermined  the  moral  health  and  prepared  the 
way  for  violence.  There  was  no  material  on  which 
conservative  forces  could  work.  In  some  countries 
we  find  popular  discontents,  socialism,  communism, 
nihilism,  threatening  and  overthrowing  established 
institutions.  We  see  in  other  quarters  combinations 
of  labor  against  combinations  of  capital,  fearful  to 
behold,  the  end  of  which  no  mortal  can  predict.  We 
notice  in  some  nations  an  intolerable  religious  des¬ 
potism,  paralyzing  energies  and  destroying  all  indi¬ 
vidual  independence  of  mind,  and  in  other  countries 
the  opposite  evil — rampant  infidelity,  the  destruction 
of  religious  faith,  lax  morality,  and  an  insensibility 
to  religious  impressions.  Some  countries  are  nearly 
ruined  by  intemperance,  and  others  by  disgraceful  li¬ 
centiousness.  Wherever  we  turn  our  eyes,  there  is 
something  pregnant  with  dangers,  and,  seemingly, 
almost  impossible  to  eradicate — all  fatal  to  healthy 
development ;  seeds  of  ruin ;  sources  of  despair. 

And  storming  our  line  of  vision,  in  modern  Europe 
we  find  the  tremendous  upheaval  of  the  Great  War 
due  to  the  attempted  rampage  of  military  despotism, 


46 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


vast  standing  armies,  the  constant  preparation  for 
war, — due,  too,  to  the  moral  degeneration  of  a  people. 

We  have  had  our  own  dangers  here  in  the  United 
States.  Please  God,  there  is  hope  in  our  possible 
purification  through  the  great  struggle.  No  light 
dangers,  these.  One  is  the  inordinate  value  attached 
to  mere  material  wealth.  Before  1914  and  even 
after  that  if  you  discussed  the  destinies  of  America 
with  a  boastful  optimist  he  would  be  very  apt  to 
speak  of  the  inexhaustible  mines  of  gold,  silver,  iron 
and  other  metals,  enough  to  buy  the  industries  of 
the  whole  word,  and  make  the  country  rich,  even 
if  no  wheat  or  cotton  were  exported  to  Europe.  Or 
he  would  have  pointed  to  the  vast  plains  under  culti¬ 
vation,  producing  grain  enough  to  supply  almost  all 
of  the  wants  of  Europe,  after  using  all  we  need  for 
ourselves.  Or  he  perhaps  would  enumerate  the  miles 
of  railway — twenty  times  more  than  would  circle 
the  whole  earth,  bringing  every  conceivable  product 
of  the  land  to  the  seaboard.  He  might  have  enumer¬ 
ated  the  millions  of  hogs  slaughtered  in  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  and  Kansas  City,  the  innumerable  cattle 
which  Texas  sends  to  the  east.  Everything  centered 
in  his  eye  on  material  wrealth,  and  the  luxuries  which 
wealth  secured.  When  a  foreigner  traveled  in  this 
country  not  so  long  ago  it  was  the  vast  and  undevel¬ 
oped  resources  of  the  West  which  most  astonished 
him.  The  common  eye  saw  chiefly  the  colossal  pro¬ 
duction  of  the  country,  and  gloried  in  the  boundless 
results  which  were  sure  to  reward  miners,  agricul¬ 
turists,  and  manufacturers  alike.  It  is  this  material 
life  in  which  an  immense  majority  seemed  to  have 
gloried  as  the  highest  object  of  desire.  Hence  there 
was  the  adoration  of  rich  men,  the  only  aristocrats 
whom  society  here  recognizes,  and  in  whom  power 
seems  to  be  centralized.  There  are  philanthropists 


I 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  47 

who  found  colleges;  but  even  colleges  are  becoming 
more  and  more  utilized  for  science  to  develop  ma¬ 
terial  forces — adapting  their  supply  of  learning  to 
the  material  demands  of  the  age.  There  are  relig¬ 
ious  people  who  build  churches ;  but  these  must  be  so 
expensively  constructed  and  so  splendidly  decorated 
that  poor  people  cannot  afford  to  worship  in  them. 
Many  are  still  ambitious  to  live  in  a  fine  house,  and 
the  wealthy  rivaled  the  ancient  Romans  in  the  lux¬ 
ury  of  their  tables  and  the  gorgeousness  of  their 
furniture.  It  was  these  things  to  which  most  people 
“pointed  with  pride”,  as  the  political  party  platforms 
phrase  it.  Even  political  aspiration  was  cast  aside 
for  money.  This  unconscious  admiration  of  material 
power  was  nearly  universal,  and  was  slowly  demoral¬ 
izing,  because  we  put  our  trust  in  it  as  being  our 
happiness  and  strength. 

Our  entrance  into  the  war — the  war  for  democracy 
against  autocracy — brought  us  sharply  to,  so  it 
seems  to  me.  A  fine  spirit,  the  spirit  of  sacrifice,  of 
love  of  country  became  prevalent  everywhere,  among 
the  rich  and  the  poor.  Ideals  became  high,  never 
were  they  higher.  In  one  fell  swoop,  the  false  stand¬ 
ards  and  beliefs  of  yesterday  were  washed  away, 
leaving  us  cleansed  and  with  the  spirit  of  our  fore¬ 
fathers. 

After  all,  what  are  material  riches?  No  matter 
how  broad  and  how  splendid  a  mere  material  civili¬ 
zation  may  be,  it  is  built  upon  the  sand.  What  is  the 
body  of  a  man  ?  His  soul  only — himself — it  is,  that 
is  precious  and  immortal.  Whatever  degrades  the 
soul  is  a  poison  which  destroys  the  body.  Material 
glories  are  likely  to  blind  us  as  to  our  true  and  higher 
destinies.  Make  New  York  a  second  Carthage,  Phil¬ 
adelphia  a  second  Antioch,  Chicago  a  second  Babylon, 
and  Washington  a  second  Rome,  and  we  simply  re¬ 
peat  the  old  achievements  which  ended  in  dismal 


48  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

failure.  There  is  no  reason,  drawn  from  human  ex¬ 
perience,  why  this  country  should  escape  the  fate  of 
all  other  nations,  not  in  the  extinction  of  their  popu¬ 
lation,  but  in  the  extinction  of  their  glories — unless 
spiritual  forces — such  a  force  as  moves  us  in  this 
present  epoch — shall  arise  which  will  counteract  the 
downward  tendency  in  morals  and  spiritual  life.  If 
America  has  a  great  mission  to  fulfill  she  must  al¬ 
ways  put  forth  those  agencies  and  proclaim  those 
ideas  which  elevate  the  soul,  and  which  will  save 
other  nations  also.  No  stretch  of  territory,  no  rich¬ 
ness  of  mines,  no  fertile  fields  of  corn,  no  money¬ 
making  mills  are  anything,  in  the  loftiest  aspect,  if 
true  life  has  fled. 

And  hence  it  is  emancipating  ideas  and  ideals  and 
enlightened  modes  of  education  which  should  be  the 
object  of  highest  aim,  if  America  is  to  fulfill  its  pe¬ 
culiar  privilege  in  promoting  the  elevation  and  hap¬ 
piness  of  mankind.  The  final  value  of  the  discovery 
and  settlement  of  America  must  be  established  not  so 
much  in  feeding  uncounted  millions,  to  pass  away 
like  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  as  in  creating  new  insti¬ 
tutions  and  social  conditions,  which  shall  spread 
throughout  the  world.  Thus  only  can  we  even  con¬ 
serve  the  glories  of  which  we  boast. 

Another  subject  of  solicitude  to  a  patriotic  Amer¬ 
ican  is  the  problem  of  what  shall  be  done  for  the 
emancipated  colored  people  of  the  South.  That  is  a 
question  peculiar  to  ourselves,  and  which  we  alone 
can  solve.  The  rapid  increase  of  the  colored  popula¬ 
tion  may  not  endanger  our  institutions  or  affect  the 
prosperity  of  the  East  and  West.  On  the  contrary, 
the  unfortunate  people  whom  we  freed  from  bond¬ 
age,  and  to  whom  we,  perhaps  unwisely,  gave  polit¬ 
ical  rights,  may  yet  be  scattered  throughout  the 
land;  and  they  will  inevitably  find  the  political  and 
industrial  level  to  which  they  became  adapted,  al- 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  49 


though  social  intermixture  with  the  whites  seems 
neither  possible  nor  desirable ;  nor  will  they  weaken 
the  resources  of  the  South,  but  will  rather  develop 
them.  Yet  their  condition  is  most  pitiable.  Even 
Fred  Douglass,  in  a  lecture  on  their  sad  life,  inti¬ 
mated,  in  my  hearing,  that,  in  spite  of  all  that  had 
been  gained  by  many  of  them,  the  condition  of  the 
great  mass  was  not  substantially  improved  by  eman¬ 
cipation — that  they  were  still  largely  in  the  power  of 
the  whites ;  that  they  were  still  often  oppressed,  and 
miserable,  ignorant  and  degraded,  and  might  here¬ 
after,  with  their  rapid  increase,  become  a  dangerous 
element  in  our  civilization. 

Something  ought  to  be  done  for  a  people  who  have 
been  subjected  to  so  great  injustice.  There  is  no  ap¬ 
parent  remedy  for  the  increasing  cloud  of  portentous 
evil  but  in  their  education,  to  make  them  citizens 
whom  we  fear  not;  and  who  is  to  educate  them? 
They  must  be  taught  by  those  who  are  stronger  and 
wiser.  The  Southern  whites  are  slow  to  teach  and 
help  them,  but  at  times  even  insult  and  isolate  the 
philanthropic  teachers  who  come  to  save  them;  al¬ 
though  in  many  localities  these  old  prejudices  are 
passing  away  as  the  whites  begin  to  see  the  higher 
worth  of  intelligent  laborers.  This  is  marked,  for 
instance,  with  regard  to  the  Hampton  Institute  for 
Negroes  and  Indians,  some  of  the  best  friends  of 
which  are  Southern  men.  The  material  wealth  of 
the  nation  must  be  utilized  in  their  favor — must  be 
turned  in  a  channel  of  goodness  and  benevolence.  No 
feeble  charity,  no  pittance  of  superfluous  wealth,  will 
avail  anything.  Donations  large  and  free,  not  only 
of  private  but  of  public  moneys — not  thousands  of 
dollars  but  millions — should  be  contributed  to  give 
them  common  schools,  industrial  training-schools 
and  colleges ;  not  directly  to  teach  the  masses  of  ig¬ 
norant  and  depraved  humanity,  but  especially  to  edu- 


50 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


cate  the  better  class  of  them,  to  raise  up  colored 
teachers  who  can  best  instruct  their  fellow-sufferers. 

The  boon  which  Abraham  Lincoln  conferred  upon 
the  slaves  as  a  war  measure  will  not  turn  out  so  great 
a  blessing  as  was  supposed,  until  some  National  aid 
for  their  further  emancipation  from  ignorance  and 
brutality  shall  be  appropriated  to  their  education  by 
our  National  Legislature,  as  a  national  necessity. 

Much  the  same  line  of  thought  applies  to  the  rem¬ 
nants  of  our  aboriginal  Indian  tribes  who,  as  “Wards 
of  the  Nation,”  might  well  accuse  us  of  a  gross  and 
gigantic  breach  of  trust.  The  efforts  making  to  ed¬ 
ucate  the  Indians,  both  in  private  and  Governmental 
schools  in  the  West  and  in  the  Hampton  and  Carlisle 
institutions  in  the  East,  give  most  encouraging  re¬ 
sults.  They  promise  to  fit  these  people  for  a  reason¬ 
able  use  of  the  freedom  and  responsibility  that  will 
be  theirs  when  the  Government  divides  their  land  to 
them  in  individual  severalty  instead  of  by  tribes,  and 
when  they  put  their  nobler  qualities  of  truthfulness 
and  self-respect  to  work  in  the  sphere  of  American 
citizenship. 

We  should  not  too  harshly  criticize  our  uncivilized 
“inferior  races”,  for  we  ourselves  have  much  to  learn 
in  the  practice  of  Christianity,  honesty  and  common 
fair  dealing,  when  our  Government,  legislative  and 
executive  together,  unites  in  making  a  “Chinese  ex¬ 
clusion  law”,  in  plain  contravention  of  existing 
treaties.  That  was  done  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1892. 

The  dangers  which  some  deplore  in  immigration, 
in  Mormonism,  and  in  Roman  Catholicism  I  fail  to 
see,  at  least  to  any  alarming  extent.  Immigration 
planted  the  West  and  developed  its  industries.  Why 
should  not  the  poor  and  miserable  of  foreign  lands 
have  a  share  in  a  boundless  inheritance?  It  is  not 
necessary  that  they  should  always  be  ignorant. 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  51 


They  are  as  civilized  as  our  remote  ancestors,  and 
they  have  as  noble  aspirations.  They  have  already 
largely  amalgamated  with  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 
Mormonism  is  only  a  spot  upon  a  sun,  and  must  fade 
away  with  advancing  light  unless  more  deeply  im¬ 
pregnated  with  evil  than  I  am  inclined  to  believe; 
while  Catholicism  has  a  mission  to  fulfill  among  peo¬ 
ple  still  enslaved  by  the  dogmas  and  superstitions  of 
the  Middle  Ages.  Grasping  as  the  Catholics  are  of 
political  power,  it  is  because  they  had  none  in  the 
countries  from  which  they  came,  and  their  privileges 
are  all  the  dearer  from  their  former  political  sig¬ 
nificance.  Every  succeeding  generation  becomes 
more  enlightened  and  more  impressible  by  grand 
ideas.  They  are  still  the  most  religious,  and  in  some 
respects  the  most  moral,  of  all  our  colonists;  and 
their  priests  are  the  most  hard-worked  and  most 
self-denying  of  all  our  clergy — teaching,  with  all 
their  prejudices  and  ecclesiastical  bondage,  the  card¬ 
inal  principles  of  the  Christian  religion.  The  Cath¬ 
olics  may  become  a  very  powerful  and  numerous  re¬ 
ligious  party,  but  they  never  can  become  a  domi¬ 
nating  power  while  faith  remains  in  the  agencies 
which  have  produced  so  wonderful  a  civilization  as 
this,  nor  could  the  Pope  encroach  largely  on  civil 
freedom  in  this  utilitarian  age,  even  were  he  so  dis¬ 
posed.  Indeed,  his  utterances,  as  to  both  French  and 
American  affairs,  seem  to  show  a  sagacious  sympa¬ 
thy  with  the  political  tendencies  of  the  day. 

*  No  picture  can  be  true  which  does  not  show  the 
shadows  as  well  as  the  lights.  We  have  had  to  look 
at  some  dark  ones.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered  that 
America  is  not  a  completed  country.  Much  of  the 
great  prospect  is  chaotic,  confused,  unsightly,  show¬ 
ing  piles  of  dirt  and  accumulations  of  refuse  ma¬ 
terial — like  the  building-ground  of  a  huge  edifice 
during  construction.  Such  rapid  advancement  in 


52 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


nation-building  was  never  made  before  on  the  earth, 
because  all  classes  have  been  free  and  interested 
workers.  We  are  in  a  transition  stage,  and  even  ap¬ 
proximate  perfection  is  a  long  way  off.  We  may  take 
courage,  however,  in  the  knowledge  that  not  only  is 
our  edifice  well  founded — “broad-based  upon  a  na¬ 
tion's  will" — but  that,  counteracting  against  the  in¬ 
felicities  and  tendencies  to  danger,  is  a  new  force 
arising  among  the  builders — the  thoughtful  and  the 
devotional  alike — which  is  making  more  of  conduct 
than  of  creed,  more  of  piety  than  of  institutional  re¬ 
ligion,  more  of  individual  character  than  of  eccles¬ 
iastical  form.  This  leaven  is  spreading  with  whole¬ 
some  infection,  and  must  find  its  sphere  of  work  in 
arousing  the  multitude  of  individual  consciences  of 
American  freemen  to  loftier  standards  of  life  and 
aspiration,  in  business,  in  all  kinds  of  manual  labor, 
in  politics,  in  law-making  and  law-keeping — briefly, 
in  good  citizenship.  It  is  much  that  a  land  has  been 
found  large  and  rich  enough  to  raise  its  people  out 
of  the  degradation  of  poverty  to  a  higher  plane  of 
physical  and  social  life,  for  morals  and  intelligence 
follow  that.  And  there  is  great  hope  in  the  new  pop¬ 
ular  movements  in  favor  of  education, — the  Chau¬ 
tauqua  Circles  for  home  culture,  the  University  Ex¬ 
tension  for  giving  collegiate  instruction  to  non-col- 
legiate  youth,  the  libraries  and  reading  clubs,  the 
societies  for  political,  literary  and  socialistic  discus¬ 
sion,  the  literature-classes  among  women,  and  a 
great  number  of  local  associations  for  self-improve¬ 
ment  and  for  the  helping  of  others,  from  which  ra¬ 
diate  newer  and  better  and  loftier  influences  into  all 
ranks  of  our  people — even  the  very  lowest.  For 
among  these  a  fresh  zeal  of  Christian  effort,  aided 
by  common  sense,  is  carrying  the  light  of  physical 
cleanliness  and  comfort,  together  with  moral  and 
spiritual  light.  Moreover,  the  ancient  civilizations, 


HISTORY,  GREATNESS  AND  DANGERS  OF  AMERICA  53 


whose  material  greatness  toppled  them  to  their  ruin, 
lacked  two  things  that  we  rely  on,  free  schools  and 
an  untrammeled  press.  Frequent  political  revolt 
tends  to  avert  the  more  destructive  armed  rebellion ; 
and  the  growing  intelligence  of  our  youth,  with  the 
atmosphere  of  free  discussion  into  which  they  come 
up,  will  prove,  under  the  influence  of  Christianity,  a 
vital  force  to  throw  off  evil  as  well  as  to  propagate 
good. 

I  have  but  a  word  more  to  say,  and  that  is  on  the 
dignity  and  utility  with  which  the  history  of  this 
great  nation  is  invested.  It  will  not  be  long  before 
every  university  of  Europe  will  have  a  chair  to  study 
and  teach  the  development  of  our  civilization.  Such 
a  wonderful  progress  in  a  hundred  years  cannot  pass 
unnoticed  by  the  students  of  the  Old  World.  Even 
now  the  best  treatises  on  our  political  institutions 
have  been  written  by  a  Frenchman,  a  German  and 
an  Englishman,  and  are  used  as  text-books  in  our 
own  colleges.  The  field  of  American  history  cannot 
be  exhausted  any  more  than  our  mines  of  coal.  Ev¬ 
eryone  who  writes  a  school-book  or  an  elaborate  sur¬ 
vey  of  the  changes  through  which  we  have  passed, 
everyone  who  collates  a  statistical  table,  or  writes  a 
treatise  or  a  popular  epitome  of  leading  events,  is  a 
benefactor.  Everyone  who  paints  and  analyzes  a 
great  character  makes  an  addition  to  our  literature. 
Even  the  honest  and  industrious  expert  who  drags 
out  of  oblivion  the  driest  and  most  minute  details,  is 
doing  something  to  swell  the  tide  of  useful  knowledge 
in  this  great  country.  Especially  useful  to  the  hard- 
pushed  student  or  the  busy  man  must  be  any  reason¬ 
ably  compact  record  of  American  life  which  presents 
the  essential  forces  and  facts  that  have  produced  re¬ 
sults.  Such  a  work  should  not  only  show  the  annals 
of  political,  military  and  industrial  growth,  but 
should  note  the  characteristics  of  the  various  groups 


54 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


of  colonists  and  the  social,  religious  and  civic  ele¬ 
ments  that  entered  with  influence  into  the  formative 
periods  of  our  composite  national  character.  It 
should  give  at  successive  points  analyses  of  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  republican  government  and  their  religious 
applications — from  the  town-meeting  to  the  highest 
Federal  department.  It  should,  in  brief,  show  not 
only  the  results  and  processes,  but  the  reasons  for 
them,  and  thus  offer  wholesome  stimulant  to  the 
reader’s  mind. 

The  excellent  book  to  which  this  is  a  merely  sug¬ 
gestive  introduction,  while  it  does  not  startle  us  by 
brilliant  creative  generalization  nor  enter  upon  crit¬ 
ical  speculations  on  disputed  points,  makes  admir¬ 
able  use  of  accepted  facts.  It  is  clear  in  style,  con¬ 
densed  though  interesting  in  narrative,  lofty  in  tone 
and  truthful  in  statement.  It  is  rather  remarkable 
for  its  discriminating  selection  of  events  and  influ¬ 
ential  elements  to  be  set  forth  and  for  its  lucid  pre¬ 
sentation  of  them.  The  account  of  our  Four  Hun¬ 
dred  Years  of  American  History  should  have  a  wide 
circulation,  for  it  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the 
cause  of  education  and  popular  instruction. 

JOHN  LORD. 

Stamford,  Conn. 


A  HISTORY 


OF  THE 

AMERICAN  NATION 


LIEF  ERICSSON, 

And  Other  Norse  Adventurers 

About  five  hundred  years  before  Columbus  landed 
on  Guanahani,  one  of  the  Bahama  Islands,  Lief  Er¬ 
icsson,  a  Scandinavian,  sailed  from  Brattahlid,  now 
New  Herrnhut,  in  Greenland,  in  a  due  south  direc¬ 
tion,  and  after  passing  over  sixteen  degrees  of  lati¬ 
tude,  or  about  1,100  statute  miles,  sighted  Newfound¬ 
land,  and  thence  sailing  southwest  along  the  coast 
reached  Cape  Cod.  Afterward  other  adventurous 
Northmen  made  voyages  occasionally  along  the  same 
coasts,  from  the  tenth  to  the  twelfth  centuries. 
These  explorers  landed  at  several  places ;  and  records 
show  that  they  attempted  to  found  a  colony  in  a  re¬ 
gion  which  they  named  Vinland. 

The  place  selected  for  the  settlement  is  supposed 
to  have  been  somewhere  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
present  States  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island, 
but  every  trace  of  the  colony  disappeared  long  before 
the  advent  of  the  English  upon  the  same  territory. 

Meanwhile,  an  Icelandic  collection  of  legends  or 
sagas,  which  treat  of  these  early  discoveries,  shows 
that  explorations  were  made  even  as  far  south  as 
Florida,  in  the  vicinity  of  where  St.  Augustine  now 
stands. 


56 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


No  marked  influence  was  exerted  by  these  discov¬ 
eries  and  partial  explorations,  however,  unless  it  may 
have  been,  as  generally  supposed,  that  an  account  of 
the  voyages  of  Ericsson  and  others  reached  Colum¬ 
bus  and  stimulated  him  in  his  efforts  to  obtain  the 
means  of  making  an  expedition  of  discovery  toward 
the  West. 


CHAPTER  I 

1492-1795 

COLUMBUS 

His  Discoveries,  Misfortune,  and  Death — Amerigo  Vespucci, 

and  the  name  America.. 

For  nearly  fifteen  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of 
our  Saviour,  the  great  Western  Continent  was  un¬ 
known  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Old  World. 

The  people  of  Europe  had  looked  upon  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  as  a  boundless  expanse  of  water,  surrounding 
the  land  and  stretching  far  away  they  knew  not 
whither.  This  vast  unknown,  their  imaginations  had 
peopled  with  all  sorts  of  terrible  monsters,  ever  ready 
to  devour  those  who  should  rashly  venture  among 
them.  But  the  cloud  of  mystery  and  superstition 
that  hung  over  this  world  of  waters  was  now  to  be 
dispelled — a  spirit  of  discovery  was  awakened  in 
Europe. 

The  Azores  and  Madeira  Islands  were  already 
known.  Mariners,  driven  out  by  adverse  winds,  had 
discovered  them.  Tradition  told  of  islands  still 
further  west,  but  as  yet  no  one  had  gone  in  search 
of  them.  Even  though  the  bold  Norsemen  did  find 
and  touch  upon  Western  shores,  the  knowledge  of 
them  was  neither  published  nor  utilized.  The  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  people  of  maritime  Europe  was  turned  in 
the  opposite  direction ;  they  wished  to  find  a  passage 
by  water  to  the  eastern  coasts  of  Asia.  The  stories 
told  by  those  early  travellers,  Sir  John  Mandeville 
and  Marco  Polo,  had  fired  their  imaginations;  they 
believed  that  among  those  distant  regions  of  which 
they  wrote,  so  abundant  in  precious  stones,  diamonds 


58 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


and  gold,  was  the  veritable  land  of  Ophir  itself. 
Their  intense  desire  to  obtain  the  treasures  of  India 
led  to  a  result  most  important  in  the  worlds  history 
— a  result  little  anticipated,  but  which  was  to  have 
a  never-ending  influence  upon  the  destinies  of  the 
human  family — the  discovery  of  America. 

There  appeared  at  this  time  a  remarkable  man — 
Christopher  Columbus.  He  was  a  native  of  Genoa, 
one  of  the  great  commercial  cities  of  Italy.  He  had 
been  from  his  childhood  familiar  with  the  sea,  and 
had  visited  the  most  distant  portions  of  the  world 
then  known.  His  time  and  talents  were  devoted  to 
the  study  of  navigation,  geography  and  astronomy. 
He  read  also  many  books  of  travel,  and  it  is  now 
thought  that  he  had  seen  in  Iceland  or  elsewhere  the 
accounts  of  land  visited  in  the  west  by  the  Norse¬ 
men,  as  mentioned  in  our  Introduction.  He  began  to 
astonish  his  countrymen  with  strange  notions  about 
the  world.  He  boldly  asserted  that  it  was  round,  in¬ 
stead  of  flat ;  that  it  went  around  the  sun  instead  of 
the  sun  going  around  it ;  and  moreover,  that  day  and 
night  were  caused  by  its  revolution  on  its  axis. 
These  doctrines  the  priests  denounced  as  contrary  to 
those  of  the  church.  When  he  ventured  to  assert 
that  by  sailing  west,  he  could  reach  the  East  Indies, 
they  questioned  not  ony  the  soundness  of  his  theory, 
but  that  of  his  intellect.  For  years  he  labored  to 
obtain  the  means  to  explore  the  great  western  ocean, 
to  prove  that  it  was  the  pathway  to  the  coveted 
treasures  of  the  East. 

He  applies  to  John  the  Second,  king  of  Portugal, 
to  aid  him  in  his  enterprise,  but  without  success ;  he 
then  applied  to  Henry  the  Seventh,  king  of  England, 
with  a  similar  result.  After  years  of  delay  and  dis¬ 
appointment,  his  project  having  been  twice  rejected 
by  the  Spanish  court,  and  he  himself  branded  as  a 
wild  enthusiast,  he  succeeded  in  enlisting  in  its  favor 


COLUMBUS 


59 


the  benevolent  Isabella,  Queen  of  Spain.  She  offered 
to  pledge  her  private  jewels  to  obtain  means  to  de¬ 
fray  the  expenses  of  the  expedition.  Thus  the  bless¬ 
ings,  which  have  accrued  to  the  world  from  the  dis¬ 
covery  of  America,  may  be  traced  to  the  beneficence 
of  one  of  the  noblest  of  women. 

After  numerous  delays  and  many  disappointments, 
on  Friday,  the  3d  of  August,  1492,  Columbus  sailed 
from  the  little  port  of  Palos,  in  Spain. 

He  confidently  launched  forth  upon  the  unknown 
ocean.  His  three  little  vessels  were  mere  sail-boats 
compared  with  the  magnificent  ships  that  now  pass 
over  the  same  waters.  He  sailed  on  and  on,  day  after 
day,  and  at  length  came  within  the  influence  of  the 
trade  winds,  which  without  intermission  urged  his 
vessels  toward  the  west.  The  sailors  began  to  fear — 
if  these  winds  continued,  they  never  could  return. 
They  noticed  the  variation  of  the  compass;  it  no 
longer  pointed  to  the  pole, — was  this  mysterious,  but 
hitherto  trusty  friend,  about  to  fail  them  ? 

Ten  weeks  had  already  elapsed,  and  the  winds  were 
still  bearing  them  farther  and  farther  from  their 
homes.  It  is  true,  there  were  many  indications  that 
land  was  near;  land  birds  were  seen;  land  weeds,  a 
bush  with  fresh  berries  upon  it,  and  a  cane  curiously 
carved,  were  found  floating  in  the  water.  Again  and 
again,  from  those  on  the  watch,  was  heard  the  cry 
of  land,  but  as  often  the  morning  sun  dispelled  the 
illusion;  they  had  been  deceived  by  the  evening 
clouds  that  fringed  the  western  horizon.  Now,  the 
sailors,  terror-stricken,  became  mutinous,  and  clam¬ 
ored  to  return.  They  thought  they  had  sinned  in 
venturing  so  far  from  land,  and  as  a  punishment 
were  thus  lured  on  to  perish  amid  the  dangers  with 
which  their  imaginations  had  filled  the  waste  of 
waters. 

Columbus  alone  was  calm  and  hopeful ;  in  the  midst 


60 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


of  all  these  difficulties,  he  preserved  the  courage  and 
noble  self-control  that  so  dignifies  his  character.  His 
confidence  in  the  success  of  his  enterprise,  was  not 
the  idle  dream  of  a  mere  enthusiast ;  it  was  founded 
in  reason,  it  was  based  on  science.  His  courage  was 
the  courage  of  one,  who,  in  the  earnest  pursuit  of 
truth,  loses  sight  of  every  personal  consideration. 
He  asked  only  for  a  little  more  time,  that  he  might 
prove  to  others  the  truth  of  what  he  himself  so  firmly 
believed.  When  lo!  the  following  night  the  land 
breeze,  fragrant  with  the  perfume  of  flowers,  greeted 
them;  never  was  it  more  grateful  to  the  worn  and 
weary  sailor.  The  ships  were  ordered  to  lie  to,  lest 
they  should  run  upon  rocks.  Suddenly  the  ever 
watchful  eye  of  Columbus  saw  a  light,  a  moving  light ! 
The  alternations  of  hope  and  fear,  the  visions  of 
fame  and  greatness,  or  the  higher  aspirations  that 
may  have  filled  his  soul  on  that  eventful  night,  are 
more  easily  imagined  than  described. 

The  next  morning,  they  saw  lying  before  them  in 
all  its  luxuriant  beauty  an  island,  called  by  the  na¬ 
tives  Guanahani,  but  renamed  by  Columbus,  San  Sal¬ 
vador,  or  Holy  Saviour. 

With  a  portion  of  his  crew  he  landed.  Falling  on 
their  knees,  they  offered  thanksgivings  to  God,  who 
had  crowned  their  labors  with  success. 

Columbus  raised  a  banner,  and  planted  a  cross,  and 
thus  took  formal  possession  of  the  land  in  the  names 
of  his  sovereigns,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  The  awe¬ 
stricken  natives  watched  the  ceremony  from  amid 
the  groves;  they  thought  the  white  strangers  were 
the  children  of  the  sun,  their  great  deity.  Alas !  the 
cross  did  not  prove  to  them  the  emblem  of  peace  and 
good-will ! 

Columbus  explored  this  island — one  of  the  Ba¬ 
hama  group — and  discovered  others,  now  known  as 
the  West  Indies.  Thus  he  spent  three  months ;  then 


COLUMBUS 


61 


taking  with  him  seven  of  the  natives,  he  sailed  for 
home.  On  the  15th  of  March  he  arrived  at  Palos. 
From  that  port  to  the  court  at  Barcelona,  his  prog¬ 
ress  was  a  triumphal  procession.  He  was  graciously 
received  by  the  King  and  Queen,  who  appointed  him 
Viceroy  or  Governor  of  all  the  countries  he  had  or 
should  discover.  They  conferred  upon  him  and  his 
families  titles  of  nobility,  and  permission  to  use  a 
coat  of  arms.  The  day  he  made  his  discovery,  was 
the  day  of  his  triumph ;  this  day  was  the  recognition 
of  it  by  his  patrons  and  by  the  world.  His  past  life 
had  been  one  of  unremitting  toil  and  hope  deferred ; 
but  in  the  future  were  bright  prospects  for  himself 
and  his  family.  But  his  title,  the  object  of  his  hon¬ 
orable  ambition,  proved  the  occasion  of  all  his  after 
sorrows.  The  honors  so  justly  conferred  upon  him, 
excited  the  jealousy  of  the  Spanish  nobility. 

From  this  time  his  life  was  one  continued  contest 
with  his  enemies.  He  made  more  voyages,  and  more 
discoveries.  On  his  third  voyage  he  saw  the  main¬ 
land  at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco.  It  seems  never 
to  have  occurred  to  him,  that  a  river  so  large  must 
necessarily  drain  a  vast  territory.  He  supposed  the 
lands  he  had  discovered  were  islands  belonging  to 
Cathay,  or  Farther  India;  from  this  circumstance 
the  natives  of  the  New  World  were  called  Indians. 
It  is  more  than  probable  Columbus  died  without 
knowing  that  he  had  found  a  great  continent. 

After  a  few  years  his  enemies  so  far  prevailed, 
that  on  a  false  accusation  he  was  sent  home  in  chains 
from  the  island  of  Hispaniola.  Isabella,  indignant  at 
the  treatment  he  had  received,  ordered  them  to  be 
taken  off,  and  all  his  rights  and  honors  restored. 
Ferdinand  promised  to  aid  her  in  rendering  him  jus¬ 
tice,  and  in  punishing  his  enemies ;  but,  double-deal¬ 
ing  and  ungenerous,  he  did  neither.  To  the  misfor¬ 
tunes  of  Columbus  was  added  the  death  of  Isabella, 


62 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


% 


his  kind  and  generous  patroness.  And  now  he  was 
openly  maligned  and  persecuted.  Their  work  was 
soon  done ;  in  a  short  time  he  died,  worn  out  by  dis¬ 
ease  and  disappointment.  His  last  words  were: 
“Into  thy  hands,  0  Lord,  I  commend  my  spirit.” 

His  body  was  deposited  in  a  convent  in  Spain.  Fer¬ 
dinand,  it  is  said,  ordered  a  monument  to  his  mem¬ 
ory.  The  justice  he  had  denied  him  in  life  he  was 
willing  to  inscribe  upon  his  tomb, — it  was  to  bear  the 
inscription :  “Columbus  has  given  a  world  to  Castile 
and  Leon.” 

The  body  of  Columbus  was  afterward  conveyed  to 
Hispaniola.  After  a  lapse  of  almost  three  hundred 
years  that  island  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
French.  Generations  had  come  and  gone,  but  the 
Spanish  nation  remembered  that  Columbus  had  “Giv¬ 
en  a  world  to  Castile  and  Leon ;”  and  they  wished  to 
retain  his  remains  within  their  own  territories.  They 
disinterred  them,  and  with  imposing  ceremonies 
transferred  them  to  Havana  in  the  island  of  Cuba, 
where  they  still  remain. 

About  seven  years  after  the  first  voyage  of  Colum¬ 
bus,  Amerigo  Vespucci,  a  Florentine  gentleman,  vis¬ 
ited  the  West  Indies,  and  also  landed  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  South  America.  On  his  return  he  published 
a  glowing  description  of  the  newly  discovered  coun¬ 
tries.  From  this  circumstance  the  name  America 
was  given  to  the  New  World  by  a  German  writer  on 
Geography,  who  may  have  been  ignorant  of  the 
claims  of  Columbus. 


i 


CHAPTER  II 

AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 
The  Origin  of  the  American  Indians 

Who  were  the  first  human  beings  on  the  American 
continent  ?  How  did  they  get  there  ?  In  these  ques¬ 
tions  we  have  the  two-fold  aspect  of  a  problem  which, 
from  the  time  of  Columbus  to  our  own  day,  has 
proved  of  absorbing  interest  to  every  type  of  mind. 
The  many  attempts  at  a  solution  of  this  problem  re¬ 
solve  themselves  into  three  distinct  theories.  The 
first  of  them  that  gained  general  currency  regarded 
the  aboriginal  Americans  as  descendants  of  the  lost 
tribes  of  Israel.  This  view  was  certainly  stimulating 
to  the  imagination,  and  its  very  picturesqueness 
must  have  contributed  immensely  to  its  diffusion. 
Even  the  scientific  and  skeptical  critic  found  in  the 
idea  an  incentive  to  careful  study  of  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  natives  of  our  continent,  in  the  hope 
of  thus  discovering  analogies  that  would  lead  ulti¬ 
mately  to  the  truth.  But  science  has  slowly  but  sure¬ 
ly  undermined  the  foundations — such  as  they  were — 
of  this  belief,  and  it  remains  today  what  it  was  in  the 
beginning — a  mere  assumption  and  nothing  more. 

The  second  theory  takes  us  back  to  one  of  the 
famous  legends  of  the  ancient  Greeks.  This  is  the 
legend  of  Atlantis,  an  island  realm  of  the  western 
seas,  of  which  Plato  gives  us  a  splendid  vision  in  one 
of  his  most  impressive  passages.  To  state  this  the¬ 
ory  in  its  crudest  but  simplest  form,  Atlantis  must 
have  been  a  vast  land  area,  or  series  of  land  areas,  ex¬ 
tending  from  Europe  to  the  continent  of  America. 


64 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


Our  remote  predecessors  were  thus  afforded  a  natural 
bridge  over  which  they  crossed  by  easy  stages  from 
the  Old  World  to  the  New.  That  some  vague  tra¬ 
ditions  of  this  sort  had  survived  in  the  minds  of  men 
from  a  very  ancient  period  is  beyond  dispute.  The 
legend  of  Atlantis  had  evidently  cast  its  spell  over 
the  imagination  of  the  old  Roman  philosopher  Sen¬ 
eca,  inspiring,  it  may  be,  his  immortal  prophecy  that 
mankind  would  yet  discover  a  new  world  beyond  the 
seas.  The  fancy  of  Columbus  had  been  caught  by 
the  boldness  of  the  same  vision,  and  the  fabled  At¬ 
lantis  thus  became  a  factor  in  the  achievement  of 
the  greatest  triumph  in  the  annals  of  geographical 
science.  Nor  is  this  island  continent  of  Atlantis  to 
be  dismissed  as  a  mere  creation  of  the  myth-makers. 
Many  able  men  of  science  have  seen  no  escape  from 
the  conclusion  that  a  bridge  or  area  of  land  extend¬ 
ing  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  must  have  afforded  the 
path  by  means  of  which  human  beings  first  gained 
the  American  continent.  Science  in  this  twentieth 
century  does  not,  to  be  sure,  view  the  subject  in  the 
simple  spirit  of  the  old  Spaniard  who,  on  the  strength 
of  the  land-bridge  theory,  assigned  a  Celtiberian  or¬ 
igin  to  the  Indians.  The  theory  removes  one  diffi¬ 
culty,  but  it  creates  another.  What  became  of  the 
convenient  continent  between  Europe  and  America? 
It  can  scarcely  have  subsided  beneath  the  waves 
without  leaving  a  trace  of  its  former  presence.  Yet 
every  attempt  to  establish  even  the  outlines  of  the 
missing  continent  by  sounding  the  heights  and 
depths  of  the  Atlantic  has  proved  an  idle  task.  Only 
the  most  tremendous  of  natural  convulsions  could 
have  wiped  out  a  vast  land  area  between  Europe  and 
America.  The  advanced  geological  science  of  our 
time  can  find  no  traces  of  a  submersion  on  this  gi¬ 
gantic  scale.  Nevertheless,  geologists  of  distinction 
have  maintained  that  the  northern  bed  of  the  At- 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


65 


lantic  was  not  always  covered  with  water.  If  their 
view  be  the  right  one,  man  may  have  left  the  Old 
World  for  the  New  at  a  time  when  climatic  conditions 
on  the  earth  were  very  different  from  those  known  to 
us. 

We  come  now  to  the  third  and  last  theory  of  the 
peopling  of  America.  The  shipping  of  Asiatic  coast 
dwellers  was  driven  from  time  to  time  by  stress  of 
wind  and  weather  as  far  as  the  Alaskan  shore.  An 
involuntary  migration  was  thus  set  up  from  a  remote 
prehistorical  period.  A  glance  at  the  map  shows  this 
view  of  the  case  to  be  an  extremely  simple  one. 
Nowhere  do  the  continents  of  the  Old  World  and  the 
New  come  so  closely  together  as  in  the  Alaskan  re¬ 
gion.  That  slender  arm  known  as  Bering  Strait 
forms  the  only  division  between  these  mighty  areas. 
Transit  from  one  to  the  other  can  have  presented  no 
insuperable  difficulties  even  to  the  most  primitive 
craft.  The  plausibility  of  this  view  is  supported  by 
certain  resemblances  between  the  American  aborig¬ 
ines  and  Mongolian  peoples.  Some  American  races  of 
the  Pacific  states  have  characteristics  in  common 
with  the  nations  of  civilized  Asia.  There  are  Chi¬ 
nese  legends  of  a  land  of  Fu-schan  which  point  un¬ 
mistakably  to  Aztec  civilization,  in  the  opinion  of 
many  scientists.  Upon  these  and  other  considera¬ 
tions  is  based  the  theory  of  a  Chinese  origin  for  the 
first  inhabitants  of  America.  But  all  this  ingenious 
theorizing  has  been  unable  to  withstand  the  ordeal 
of  more  searching  investigation.  America  was  cer¬ 
tainly  not  peopled  by  the  Alaska  route  within  a  peri¬ 
od  during  which  we  can  trace  even  the  most  ancient 
Chinese  races.  Only  after  the  glacial  period  did  the 
remote  northwestern  extremity  of  our  continent 
emerge  from  the  bosom  of  the  Pacific.  Such,  at  any 
rate,  is  the  conclusion  of  recent  geological  science. 
The  first  dwellers  of  America  could  never  have  trav- 


66 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ersed  the  infinite  width  of  waters  stretching  in  that 
dim  and  distant  pre-glacial  past  from  pole  to  pole. 
The  bones  of  many  generations  of  men  were  already 
whitening  even  then  in  the  soil  of  the  New  World. 

This  time-worn  question  has,  however,  lost  much 
of  its  importance.  The  human  race  in  the  Old  World 
can  not  be  traced  back  to  a  remoter  past  than  the 
human  race  in  the  New.  But  America  was  not  the 
cradle  of  the  human  race,  for  the  anthropoid  apes 
never  made  their  home  there.  This  much  is  estab¬ 
lished  by  the  fossil  “finds”.  Yet  the  theory  of  evo¬ 
lution  cannot  dispense  with  the  anthropoid  apes  as 
the  connecting  link  between  man  and  the  lower  ani¬ 
mals.  It  is,  of  course,  possible  that  the  first  human 
beings  on  our  continent  gained  access  to  it  at  a  time 
when  the  divisions  of  land  and  water  on  the  earth's 
surface  were  as  yet  totally  different  from  those  we 
know  anything  about.  If  so,  geology  will  some  day 
be  in  a  position  to  establish  the  fact  beyond  dispute. 
Meanwhile  we  can  only  suspend  judgment  upon  the¬ 
ories  assigning  an  Asiatic  origin  to  America's  sav¬ 
age  and  haf-savage  peoples.  All  disputes  as  to 
whether  America's  civilization  is  the  outcome  of 
Aryan  or  of  Semitic  influences  must  be  indeed  idle  if 
man  first  made  his  home  on  this  continent  at  a  time 
when  his  fellow  creatures  in  the  Old  World  still 
shared  with  the  brutes  the  privilege  of  devouring 
some  fallen  carcass,  and  still  found  in  a  natural  cave 
of  the  mountains  their  only  refuge  from  the  ele¬ 
ments.  And  we  know  that  life's  development  in  the 
New  World  was  continuous  and  unaffected  by  any 
outside  influence,  from  the  age  of  the  mammoth 
down  to  the  discovery  by  Christopher  Columbus, 

At  a  later  age  than  that  of  the  mammoth — al¬ 
though  even  this  later  age  was  well  within  the  pre- 
historical  period — America  already  had  a  consider¬ 
able  population.  This  is  shown  by  the  great  size  and 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


67 


wide  diffusion  of  those  rubbish-mounds  known  as 
kitchen-middens.  These  compromise  heaps  of  fish 
refuse  mingled  with  the  domestic  utensils  and  other 
relics  of  prehistoric  man,  all  dating  back  to  the  old¬ 
est  American  form  of  civilization  or  semi-civilization. 
Some  of  the  mounds,  however,  are  assignable  to  as 
recent  a  period  as  the  later  stone  age,  beyond  which 
the  Indians  of  eastern  South  America  never  ad¬ 
vanced.  But  even  the  most  ancient  of  them  must 
have  been  of  very  slow  formation.  In  many  in¬ 
stances  they  are  hundreds  of  feet  long  and  of  great 
height.  The  elements  would  certainly  have  inter¬ 
fered  with  a  rapid  accumulation  of  such  masses, 
which  abound  along  the  coasts  as  well  as  throughout 
the  interior  of  North  and  South  America.  The  fairly 
dense  population  indicated  by  this  state  of  things  is 
significant.  Were  Europe  and  Asia  in  this  remote 
era  inhabited  by  races  as  yet  never  civilized  ?  If  so, 
the  evolution  of  any  form  of  civilization  on  the  Amer¬ 
ican  continent  cannot  have  been  due  to  any  foreign 
influence.  Former  geographical  conditions  on  our 
continent  would  not  enter  into  the  question  in  the 
least.  Argument  based  upon  such  a  theory  would  be 
as  futile  as  the  speculations  of  Cortez  and  Pizarro 
regarding  those  twin  mysteries  of  life  in  the  New 
World — the  civilizations  of  Mexico  and  of  Peru. 

It  was  reasonable  to  anticipate  that  a  study  of  the 
dialects  and  traditions  of  the  primitive  races  of 
America  might  throw  some  light  on  their  origin. 
But  the  result  is  disappointing.  The  savage  in  a 
state  of  nature  is  found  to  have  little  knowledge  and 
less  curiosity  regarding  his  own  origin.  In  excep¬ 
tional  cases  he  may  recall  the  names  of  both  his 
father  and  his  grandfather.  He  may  even  remember 
where  they  lived.  Anything  more  than  this  involves 
him  in  a  maze  of  childish  fancy.  The  language  in 
which  these  primitive  Americans  conveyed  their  few 


68 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ideas  had  more  elements  of  permanence.  But  it  was 
subject,  nevertheless,  to  countless  modifications, 
arising  principally  from  the  introduction  of  captive 
women  into  a  conquering  tribe.  For  our  earliest  pre¬ 
decessors  on  this  continent  had  every  instinct  of  the 
beast  of  prey.  There  is  every  reason  to  suspect  that 
cannibalism  in  its  most  ruthless  form  once  prevailed 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  America.  Man 
triumphed  over  his  prey  by  devouring  him  and  won 
his  wife  by  stealing  her.  Such  was  the  order  of  ideas 
conveyed  by  a  formless  speech  which  must  long  have 
remained  but  a  stage  in  advance  of  the  uncouth  cry 
of  the  brute.  Rude  word-forms,  the  survivors,  it 
may  be,  of  this  period  of  warfare  of  “all  against  all”, 
have  been  analyzed  with  infinite  patience  in  the  light 
of  linguistic  science,  only  to  leave  the  student  very 
often  as  wise  at  the  end  of  his  labors  as  he  was  in  the 
beginning. 

RACIAL  DIVISIONS  OF  THE  INDIANS 

The  whole  population  of  the  region  now  comprising 
the  United  States  can  scarcely  have  exceeded  half  a 
million  in  the  time  of  Columbus.  The  number  is  sur¬ 
prisingly  insignificant  in  comparison  with  the  vast¬ 
ness  of  the  area.  Indeed,  the  earliest  students  of  the 
subject  concluded  that  the  inhabitants  of  our  portion 
of  America  must  have  numbered  some  millions  in  the 
year  1492.  We  know  now  that  these  observers  were 
misled  partly  by  the  accounts  of  the  red  men  them¬ 
selves,  partly  by  the  bewildering  variety  of  dialects 
that  prevailed,  and  party  by  the  probabilities  of  the 
case.  It  is  possible  that  the  population  of  North 
America,  in  an  indefinite  prehistoric  period,  could 
have  been  computed  by  the  million.  But  this  popu¬ 
lation  had  evidently  been  declining  for  a  long  time — 
perhaps  for  centuries.  We  may  attribute  this  de¬ 
cline,  perhaps,  to  a  type  of  civilization  unfitted  to 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


69 


cope  with  the  surrounding  savagery  of  the  red  man. 
How  the  red  man  himself  reared  the  superstructure 
of  his  peculiar  mode  of  life  during  the  slow  decline  of 
the  prehistoric  civilization  we  can  only  vaguely  con¬ 
jecture. 

When  the  Indians  of  our  part  of  the  world  came 
so  abruptly  into  history,  their  state  of  culture  pre¬ 
sented  three  stages.  These  stages  were  not  sharply 
defined.  In  fact,  they  tended  to  shade  into  one  an¬ 
other,  although  they  were  sufficiently  distinguish¬ 
able  for  purposes  of  study  and  classification.  The 
most  abject  of  the  tribes  were  in  what  is  called  the 
later  period  of  savagery.  They  used  the  bow  and 
arrow,  but  had  no  pottery.  Tillage  of  the  soil  was 
beyond  their  capacity.  On  a  higher  plane  than  this 
were  the  Indians  in  the  older  period  of  barbarism. 
They  could  raise  a  crop  of  something  resembling 
maize,  they  herded  together  within  a  circle  of  hovels, 
and  they  fished  and  hunted  in  a  haphazard  and  dis¬ 
organized  way.  We  must  look  to  the  “village”  In¬ 
dians — those  in  the  middle  period  of  barbarism — for 
the  highest  type  of  culture  on  this  continent  when 
Columbus  reached  it.  These  tribes  had  an  agricul¬ 
ture  and  an  architecture.  They  were  progressing  in 
a  definite  direction.  But  they  were  overcome  at  in¬ 
tervals  by  the  savages  of  a  ruder  type,  and  in  the 
struggle  for  existence  they  were  doomed  not  to  sur¬ 
vive.  The  Indians  in  the  second  stage,  the  older  pe¬ 
riod  of  barbarism,  might  have  made  themselves  su¬ 
preme  over  the  whole  North  American  continent  had 
not  the  arrival  of  the  European  changed  the  whole 
course  of  human  history  in  the  New  World.  So 
much  we  may  infer  from  their  rapid  progress  along 
the  lines  of  federation  and  their  capacity  for  combi¬ 
nation  in  a  military  sense. 

The  half -million  Indians  of  the  Columbian  period 
have  been  differentiated  into  about  a  dozen  racial 


I 


70  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

stocks.  It  is  true  that  these  twelve  nationalities  or 
races  were  not  evident  to  the  first  observers,  nor  is  it 
to  be  supposed  that  the  lines  of  demarcation  were 
absolute.  This  classification  of  the  native  American 
applies,  moreover,  only  to  those  members  of  the  red 
race  dwelling  north  of  what  is  now  Mexico.  And 
while  each  of  these  twelve  nationalities  had  features 
peculiar  to  itself,  all  had  in  common  those  general 
traits  of  person  and  character  which  unfailingly  de¬ 
note  the  “noble  red  man”.  The  type  varied  little.  A 
copper-colored  skin,  prominent  cheek-bones,  straight 
black  hair,  and  a  keen  dark  eye,  were  the  universal 
physical  heritage.  The  fundamental  ideas  of  these 
beings  were  formed  on  equally  rigid  lines.  All  held 
tenaciously  to  certain  laws  of  kindred,  upon  which 
their  conception  of  government  and  society  was 
founded.  Every  red  man  was  passionately  attached 
to  his  particular  area  of  the  continent  which  com¬ 
prised  the  “home  land”  of  his  people.  This  attach¬ 
ment  was  absolute.  One  nationality  seldom,  if  ever, 
annexed  the  domain  of  another,  although  they  fre¬ 
quently  invaded  it.  These  two  principles  of  conduct 
— reverence  for  ties  of  kindred  and  devotion  to  the 
soil — are  the  grand  clues  to  Indian  human  nature. 

The  Algonquins  come  first  in  order  of  the  twelve 
groupings  we  have  to  consider.  Their  vast  domain 
extended  along  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic  from  Labra¬ 
dor  to  South  Carolina,  stretching  inland  almost  to 
that  “father  of  waters”,  the  Mississippi.  The  Al¬ 
gonquins  were  fighters  who  knew  not  the  meaning  of 
fear.  They  would  tolerate  no  authority  but  their 
own  within  the  region  they  regarded  as  the  land  of 
their  race.  Our  authentic  knowledge  of  them  does 
not  go  back  quite  to  the  Columbian  period,  but  they 
were  among  the  first  red  men  to  come  into  contact 
with  European  civilization.  The  effect  upon  their 
disposition  was  disastrous,  yet  some  of  the  noblest 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


71 


and  most  remarkable  types  of  Indian  character  were 
produced  by  the  innumerable  tribes  making  up  the 
Algonquin  stock. 

A  still  more  gifted  people  were  the  Iroquois,  among 
whom  we  include  the  Hurons.  Ethnologists  of  dis¬ 
tinction  maintain  that  these  tribes  are  really  of  the 
Algonquin  race.  Be  this  as  it  may,  their  lands 
bounded  those  of  the  Algonquins  for  many  miles, 
especially  in  the  region  of  the  great  lakes,  and  com¬ 
prised  much  of  the  territory  within  the  present 
State  of  New  York,  extending  southward,  moreover, 
as  far  as  the  mountain  region  of  Virginia.  The  Hur¬ 
ons  and  the  Iroquois  supplied  the  general  type  of 
Indian  character  that  enriches  the  pages  of  Feni- 
more  Cooper,  while  their  prowess  in  war  has  impart¬ 
ed  a  sanguinary  aspect  to  our  colonial  history.  The 
Iroquois  got  their  appellation  from  the  French,  and 
they  seem  to  have  been  divided  at  first  into  five 
tribes,  to  which  was  subsequently  added  a  sixth. 
The  “Six  Nations”  annihilated  many  tribes  in  the 
course  of  their  warlike  history.  They  developed  a 
perfectly  framed  system  of  federal  union.  Their 
chiefs  met  in  regular  council  to  determine  the  com¬ 
mon  policy  of  their  alliance.  So  well  executed  were 
their  measures  of  war  and  peace  that  their  power  be¬ 
came  irresistible.  These  “Romans  of  the  West” 
would  have  conquered  the  new  world  east  of  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi  and  north  of  the  Ohio,  according  to  Parkman, 
had  the  white  man  deferred  his  appearance  for  an¬ 
other  hundred  years  or  so.  The  gift  of  eloquence  was 
theirs  in  a  marked  degree,  and  the  speeches  of  Logan 
and  Red  Jacket  have  become  classic. 

The  land  of  the  Dakotas — third  on  our  list  of  races 
— comprised  the  leagues  of  billowy  prairie  that  roll 
westward  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  foot  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  Dakotas  were  known  to  the 
French  as  Sioux,  and,  as  was  inevitable  in  the  case 


72 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


of  a  prairie  people,  they  were  renowned  hunters  of 
the  buffalo.  Some  of  their  more  eastern  tribes  had 
a  primitive  kind  of  agriculture,  but  the  Dakotas  gen¬ 
erally  subsisted  from  the  chase.  Their  physical 
characteristics  were  often  strikingly  unlike  those  of 
all  other  red  men.  The  color  and  texture  of  their 
hair  presented  variations  not  met  with  elsewhere, 
while  in  complexion  their  women  approached  more 
nearly  to  the  blonde  type  than  did  the  squaws  of  the 
other  North  American  tribes.  They  spent  more  time 
in  their  ablutions  than  seemed  proper  to  the  Indian 
of  the  coast,  and  the  hair  of  both  males  and  females 
was  allowed  to  attain  its  full  growth.  There  was  a 
reserve  in  the  character  of  a  Dakota  squaw  that  sug¬ 
gested  some  notion  of  feminine  delicacy ;  and  her  at¬ 
tachment  to  her  children  is  the  subject  of  many 
beautiful  stories.  The  men  were  magnificent  swim¬ 
mers.  They  loved  personal  adornment  and  were  af¬ 
fable  in  manner.  Their  cruelty,  however,  was  pro¬ 
verbial.  The  exquisite  tortures  they  inflicted  upon 
captives  were  equaled  only  by  the  punishments  they 
contrived  for  themselves.  Their  purpose  in  thus 
testing  their  own  powers  of  endurance  was  the  same 
as  that  of  the  ancient  Spartans. 

The  Athabascan  Indians  formed  a  northern  stock. 
The  possessions  of  these  tribes  included  much  of 
what  has  since  become  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and 
they  hunted  even  as  far  northward  as  Alaska.  Their 
lands  also  extended  considerably  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  United  States,  for  the  Apaches  and 
Nava  joes  were  Athabascans,  although  some  author¬ 
ities  incline  to  the  view  that  the  Apaches  were  really 
southerners.  The  Athabascans  generally  were  a 
fierce  and  untamable  people.  Some  of  the  tribes  lived 
by  fishing.  Others  are  said  to  have  kept  slaves. 
Again,  we  are  assured  that  many  Athabascan  clans 
were  mild  and  gentle  until  contact  with  the  white 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


73 


race  transformed  them.  The  truth  seems  to  be  that 
the  vast  territory  inhabited  by  these  people  was  long 
inaccessible  to  the  trader  and  explorer.  Our  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  Athabascans  has,  therefore,  been  meager 
or  conflicting. 

The  Esquimaux  are  the  most  northern  of  the  races 
within  our  scheme  of  classification.  Their  country 
comprises  a  thin  strip  of  snow  land  capping  the 
North  American  continent.  They  are  at  once  the 
most  interesting  and  the  most  repellent  of  peoples. 
Small,  hairy-faced,  dull  and  dirty,  they  have  always 
stood  apart  from  the  other  races  encountered  by  the 
European  in  his  conquest  of  the  new  world. 

The  Thlinket  tribes  lived  on  the  Pacific  coast,  be¬ 
tween  the  Simpson  River  and  Mount  St.  Elias.  They 
seem  to  have  been  miserable  creatures  physically, 
who  had  no  settled  mode  of  life  and  no  particular  ca¬ 
pacity  as  hunters  or  fishers.  Some  writers  consider 
them  a  degenerate  branch  of  the  so-called  Columbian 
race,  which  forms  one  of  the  most  important  of  our 
twelve  subdivisions.  The  hunting  grounds  of  the 
Columbian  Indians  included  the  whole  of  the  present 
states  of  Washington  and  Oregon,  besides  a  great 
portion  of  the  area  to  the  immediate  north,  which 
is  now  called  British  Columbia.  They  are  said  to  have 
professed  especial  devotion  to  the  “Great  Spirit”. 
Many  of  the  tribes  suffered  severely  from  scarcity  of 
food,  and  subsisted  for  months  at  a  time  upon  roots 
and  even  grasses.  Their  chief  weapon  was  a  primi¬ 
tive  kind  of  spear,  which  they  did  not  discard  until 
long  after  experience  with  the  white  trader  had  de¬ 
veloped  a  certain  fierceness  in  their  disposition. 
Some  of  the  Columbian  tribes  were  expert  canoeists. 
One  branch  of  the  race  was  characterized  by  a  mal¬ 
formation  of  the  cranium,  produced,  it  is  said,  by 
pressure  on  the  head  during  infancy. 

The  California  Indians  are  seventh  in  our  classifi- 


74 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


cation,  their  low  level  of  existence  calling  for  no  ex¬ 
tended  notice.  The  Yumas  come  next,  their  home 
being  in  southern  Arizona  and  eastern  California. 

We  have  now  to  consider  briefly  the  very  import¬ 
ant  Pueblos.  Not  only  were  they  a  distinctive  stock 
in  physique  and  culture,  but  they  are  regarded  as  the 
survivors  of  the  prehistoric  civilization  of  the  North 
American  continent.  Their  territory  in  the  Colum¬ 
bian  period  can  scarcely  have  exceeded  the  present 
limits  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  although  there  is 
much  plausible  evidence  in  favor  of  a  more  compre¬ 
hensive  area.  At  the  time  of  their  discovery  by  the 
Spaniards,  the  Pueblos  had  long  been  in  a  state  of 
decline;  but  even  then  their  superiority  to  every 
form  of  culture  north  of  Mexico  was  striking.  It 
is  as  architects  that  these  people  make  their  most 
powerful  appeal  to  the  attention  of  the  student.  The 
famous  Cliff  Palace  in  Colorado  is  an  impressive  me¬ 
morial  of  the  antiquity  as  well  as  of  the  splendor  of 
their  civilization.  It  is  inferred  that  this  race  had 
been  receding  for  generations  before  a  rising  tide  of 
barbarism.  Some  authorities  contend  that  the 
Pueblos  are  the  distant  kin  of  the  Aztecs.  There  are 
certainly  many  striking  similarities  between  them. 
The  most  recent  investigation,  however,  tends  to  dis¬ 
sipate  this  idea.  Pueblo,  it  should  be  noted,  means 
village,  and  it  is  as  “village  Indians”  that  the  Span¬ 
iards  sought  to  distinguish  them.  The  village  in 
this  instance  was  almost  a  town,  and  the  inhabitants, 
even  in  their  dejected  condition,  represented,  as  has 
been  observed  heretofore,  the  most  advanced  culture 
within  the  area  north  of  Mexico. 

The  Shoshones  were,  to  adopt  their  own  expres¬ 
sion,  “a  great  people.”  They  inhabited  a  vast  and 
vaguely  defined  region  in  the  northwest,  roaming 
over  the  territory  now  assigned  to  Idaho,  Utah,  Wy¬ 
oming,  and  adjacent  states.  The  Pawnees  dwelt  in 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


75 


this  region  also,  the  two  races  having  many  charac¬ 
teristics  in  common,  although  they  used  different 
dialects.  Taking  them  together,  their  lands  reached 
as  far  south  as  Texas,  and  they  presented  an  infinite 
variety  of  tribal  character,  from  the  destitute  root 
diggers  of  the  mountains  to  the  “warlike  Com- 
manches.” 

Finally,  we  have  the  Appalachians,  or  Muskokis,  a 
spirited  and  intelligent  race  or  series  of  races.  They 
lived  in  what  the  American  of  today  calls  “the 
south,”  that  is,  in  the  area  from  the  Carolinas  to  the 
Gulf  as  far  westward  as  Louisiana.  Some  of  the 
most  famous  tribes  in  our  history,  such  as  the  Choc¬ 
taws,  the  Creeks,  the  Seminoles,  and  the  Cherokees, 
were  of  this  Appalachian  stock.  All  of  these  peoples 
were  extremely  handsome,  from  the  Indian  point  of 
view,  and  very  vain  of  their  personal  appearance. 
The  first  effect  of  contact  with  the  white  man  was 
an  epidemic  of  smallpox,  which  is  said  to  have  rav¬ 
aged  them  mercilessly  and  to  have  spared  but  a  frac¬ 
tion  of  their  original  numbers.  All  were  more  or 
less  addicted  to  fanciful  deformations  of  themselves, 
and  all  were  proficient  in  treachery.  Some  observers 
credit  them  with  greater  facility  in  the  acquisition 
of  European  languages  than  any  other  red  race  dis¬ 
played. 

Such  was  the  racial  aspect  of  America  north  of 
Mexico,  in  the  time  of  Columbus,  or  at  any  rate  in  a 
period  not  much  later  than  his  day.  This  division 
into  twelve  families  is  not  perfectly  accurate,  nor 
does  it  receive  the  sanction  of  all  authorities.  But  it 
answers  the  purpose  of  classification  very  well,  al¬ 
though  another  scheme  would  lessen  the  number  of 
distinct  races  by  enlarging  the  application  of  the 
term  Algonquin.  It  may  be  anticipated  that  scien¬ 
tists  will  in  time  discover  a  simpler  system  of  classi¬ 
fication  than  the  vague  one  prevailing. 


76 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


SOCIAL  AND  INTELLECTUAL  CONDITIONS  OF 

THE  INDIAN 

The  social,  moral,  and  personal  relations  of  the 
Indians  of  America,  north  of  Mexico,  show  the  effect 
of  a  long  and  intimate  contact  with  nature.  They 
had  no  notion  of  private  property  in  land.  Nobody 
would  inherit  anything,  in  our  legal  sense  of  the 
word.  The  unit  of  society  was  not  the  family.  Even 
the  family  was  not  an  institution,  for  the  father  had 
no  status  as  such. 

Speaking  generally,  the  tribe,  which  was  some¬ 
times  only  a  small  gathering  of  two  hundred  per¬ 
sons,  was  organized  on  the  basis  of  the  clan.  This 
clan  was  a  grouping  of  individuals  under  the  limited 
authority  of  a  male  member  who  stood  in  some  rela¬ 
tion  of  kinship  to  them  all.  But  this  kinship  was 
traced  almost  always  through  the  female  line,  and 
marriage  within  that  circle  was  forbidden,  although 
a  man  belonging  to  one  clan  could  marry  a  woman 
of  another  clan.  Hence,  a  certain  relationship  by 
marriage  was  apt  to  exist  throughout  all  the  tribe, 
but  an  individual  always  belonged  to  the  clan  of  the 
mother.  Occasionally  tribes  were  encountered  with 
a  gentile  basis  of  kinship,  descent  being  reckoned 
through  the  male.  There  was  also  a  system  of  adop¬ 
tion  into  a  tribe  in  which  relationship  was  nominally 
in  the  female  line.  The  family  authority  was  vested 
in  the  eldest  member  of  the  circle.  Thus  an  elder 
brother  exacted  obedience  from  a  younger.  In  the 
tribe  at  large,  however,  the  governmental  authority 
depended  almost  wholly  upon  personal  merit,  es¬ 
pecially  in  time  of  war. 

The  several  clans  forming  a  tribe  dwelt  together^ 
Their  habitations  radiated  about  a  common  center, 
but  were  usually  close  to  one  another.  The  common 
center  was  likely  to  be  the  rallying  place,  in  which 
general  concerns  were  discussed.  Here  the  old  men 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


77 


and  the  valiant  warriors  (herded  under  one  great 
roof,  or,  it  might  be,  out  in  the  open)  planned  war  or 
the  hunt,  worshiped  the  “Great  Spirit”  or  merely 
frittered  away  the  time.  As  for  the  dwellings,  they 
were  apt  to  be  constructed  of  poles,  logs,  twigs,  or 
sod,  according  to  the  resources  at  command.  The 
sanitary  arrangements  were  nearly  always  most 
primitive,  a  fact  which  explains  the  general  liability 
of  the  red  man  to  epidemics.  The  squaws  did  the 
work,  while  the  men  fought  and  amused  themselves. 
But  it  was  not  unusual  for  women  of  forceful  char¬ 
acter  to  acquire  influence  in  the  council,  while  the 
more  elderly  females  were  sometimes  regarded  with 
a  kind  of  veneration.  Life  was  not  apt  to  be  dull  in 
the  village,  for  everybody  knew  everybody  else,  and 
the  spirit  of  emulation  was  keen. 

Dress  and  personal  adornment  were  among  the  oc¬ 
casions  of  this  emulation.  Attire  was  variegated, 
the  hide  of  the  deer,  the  hare,  the  buffalo,  and  even 
the  snake,  contributing  some  element  to  the  general 
effects.  Shirts  and  leggings  were  the  conspicuous 
necessities  of  the  men,  and  the  skins  of  their  four- 
footed  quarry  supplied  the  materials.  But  softer 
fabric  was  available  in  the  shape  of  vegetable  fibers 
woven  in  combination  with  fur,  sinew,  and  feathers. 
These  materials  served  the  women  for  skirts — gar¬ 
ments  which  rarely  reached  the  ground.  The  men 
had,  apparently,  little  notion  of  the  coat.  Their  up¬ 
per  garments  were  sack-like,  with  holes  for  the  head 
and  arms.  The  nether  garment  varied  from  the  loin¬ 
cloth  supplemented  with  leggings  to  an  elaborate  cov¬ 
ering  of  skin  and  feathers,  which  decorated  the  low¬ 
er  limbs  with  a  porcupine-like  fringe.  There  were, 
of  course,  tribes  which  wore  very  little  at  all  in  the 
way  of  attire.  Others  had  different  sets  of  clothes 
for  all  the  occasions  of  life, — political,  military,  and 
religious.  The  robe  seems  to  have  been  used  more 


78 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


for  ceremony  than  for  service.  The  use  of  the  moc¬ 
casin  was  widely  distributed,  although  the  word 
seems  to  have  been  peculiar  to  the  Algonquin  peoples. 
This  footwear  was  usually  of  deer-skin,  or  some  kind 
of  leather,  and  the  sole  was  soft.  So,  too,  was  the 
upper,  which  had  often  much  ornament.  The  head 
of  the  Indian  was  surmounted  by  feathery  or  hairy 
contrivances,  which  became  more  elaborate  as  the 
tribe  rose  in  the  scale  of  existence. 

Personal  adornment  was  one  of  the  great  concerns 
of  life.  The  manliest  brave  did  not  disdain  to  give 
minute  attention  to  the  tattooing  of  his  skin  and  the 
painting  of  his  face.  The  former  operation  was  pain¬ 
ful,  necessitating  the  employment  of  darts  made  of 
fish-bone  or  metal.  The  flesh  was  pricked  in  a  stab¬ 
bing  manner  that  inflicted  exquisite  pain,  while  the 
coloring  matter  had  sometimes  a  poisonous  effect 
that  caused  death.  But  the  Indian  attached  too 
much  importance  to  the  beasts,  birds,  suns,  or  stars 
stamped  indelibly  upon  his  body  that  the  chance  of 
death  did  not  deter  him  from  the  practice.  These 
adornments,  in  addition  to  their  value  from  the  med¬ 
icine-man's  point  of  view,  confered  certain  social  ad¬ 
vantages.  Painting  was  an  indispensable  requisite 
of  ceremonial  intercourse.  The  males  daubed  their 
foreheads,  noses,  eyebrows,  and  craniums,  and  the 
females  their  cheeks.  There  seems  to  have  been  no 
fixed  standard  of  taste  in  this  matter,  except  that  in 
war  the  braves  conformed  to  a  type  of  decoration 
that  apprised  the  beholder  of  a  state  of  hostilities. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  experienced  observer  could 
almost  read  the  life  history  of  an  Indian  by  the  paint¬ 
ings  upon  his  person,  but  this  could  not  have  applied 
to  the  average  case.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however, 
that  a  gathering  of  the  clans  in  the  village  center 
was  apt  to  be  preceded  by  an  enormous  application  of 
paint. 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


79 


The  personal  relations  of  the  tribesmen  with  one 
another  were  rather  pleasant,  on  the  whole.  Their 
notions  of  dignity  and  of  social  forms  were  severely 
adhered  to,  and  the  innumerable  assemblages  to 
dance,  or  to  sing,  or  to  pray  in  common,  always  had 
a  definite  order  of  procedure.  They  began  with  an 
address  by  some  venerable  elder  or  recognized  chief, 
but  they  ended,  very  often,  in  noise  and  frenzied  ex¬ 
citement.  But  this  was,  in  a  sense,  the  conventional 
course  of  events,  especially  on  religious  occasions. 
Weird  dances,  attended  at  times  with  self-inflicted 
violence,  formed  the  leading  ceremonial  element  in 
these  rites,  and  led  naturally  to  the  physical  col¬ 
lapse  of  all  concerned.  These  performances  were  de¬ 
signed  as  a  formal  recognition  of  certain  personifica¬ 
tions  of  nature,  and  constituted  the  only  public  wor¬ 
ship  of  which  the  Indians  were  capable.  They  seem 
to  have  had  little  inward  relation  to  the  individual, 
and  worship  was  rarely  solitary.  But  other  phases 
of  religion  were  numerous,  for  the  mind  of  the  red 
man  resembled  the  mind  of  the  ancient  Greek  in  its 
readiness  to  attribute  personality  to  the  forces  and 
faces  of  nature.  Some  tribes  made  a  god  of  the 
thunder  and  lightning,  and  others  of  the  sun.  The 
winds  were  brothers,  each  with  his  appropriate 
name.  Every  beast  of  the  forest  was  deified  in  the 
abstract  and  was  typical  of  a  sentiment  or  a  power. 
The  antelope  meant  peace  to  the  Dakotas,  and  the 
grizzly  bear  signified  war.  In  nothing  was  the  In¬ 
dian^  close  contact  with  nature  more  strikingly 
manifested  than  of  his  conception  of  the  superna¬ 
tural. 

The  rites  of  this  many-sided  system  of  personifica¬ 
tion  were  not  limited  to  the  dance.  There  were  in¬ 
cantations  by  means  of  fire  and  water,  accompanied 
by  singing,  and  addresses  to  the  guardian  spirit  of 
the  tribe.  The  bear,  the  wolf, the  eagle,  were  tokens 


80 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


of  this  spirit,  who  was  as  likely  as  not  to  be  of  a 
malignant  disposition,  to  be  propitiated  only  by  the 
gloomiest  and  most  hideous  practices.  This  fact 
contributed  immensely  to  the  medicine  man's  import¬ 
ance.  He  was  supposed  by  some  of  the  tribes  to 
hold  communication  with  the  spirits  of  evil,  and  to 
be  able  to  reduce  them  to  a  state  of  subjection. 
Hence  his  efficacy  as  a  physician.  Herbs  and  roots 
had  a  magical  rather  than  a  therapeutic  value,  and 
experience  has  not  generally  sustained  the  tradi¬ 
tional  reputation  of  Indian  remedies.  The  medicine¬ 
man  was  a  contortionist  of  proficiency,  and  lathered 
himself  into  a  foam  during  an  important  ceremony. 
This  personage,  by  the  way,  should  not  be  confused 
with  a  sachem,  who  in  many  tribes  had  a  quite  differ¬ 
ent  authority.  The  sachem  frequently  united  the 
character  of  chief  with  that  of  venerable  old  man. 
His  authority  was  supernatural  only  in  exceptional 
cases,  whereas  the  medicine-man  was  always  some¬ 
thing  of  a  magician.  The  tribes  of  the  western  prai¬ 
ries  seem  to  have  encouraged  the  magic  of  the  medi¬ 
cine-man  in  a  quite  extraordinary  degree,  and  their 
type  of  religion  invested  these  strange  creatures 
with  almost  the  importance  of  a  sacerdotal  caste.  It 
was  undoubtedly  the  function  of  the  medicine-man  to 
interpret  the  tribe's  crude  philosophy  of  life  and  ap¬ 
ply  to  the  emergencies  of  every  day, — material  as 
well  as  spiritual.  Thus  was  brought  about,  probably, 
the  connection  between  the  Indian  system  of  medi¬ 
cine  and  the  Indian  system  of  worship.  There  is  no 
reason  to  infer  that  the  medicine-man  lacked  faith  in 
himself  or  in  his  system.  He  was  not  always  con¬ 
sciously  a  quack  or  an  upholder  of  delusion. 

The  “Great  Spirit,”  of  whom  so  much  is  made,  has 
occasioned  controversy.  This  being  was  originally 
accepted  as  the  Indian's  idea  of  one  supreme  diety, 
rewarding  the  good  and  punishing  the  evil.  But 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


81 


later  investigation  leads  to  the  suspicion  that  the 
“Great  Spirit”  and  “the  happy  hunting  grounds” 
may  have  been  read  into  the  Indian’s  theology 
through  the  misunderstandings  of  early  travelers 
and  missionaries.  On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the 
tribes  revered  a  single  supernatural  personality,  who 
was  credited  with  an  indefinite  supremacy  over  their 
concerns.  The  ease  with  which  most  tribes  accepted 
the  notion  of  a  supreme  being  from  the  missionary, 
has  been  held  to  denote  that  their  own  previous  the¬ 
ology  was  in  line  with  that  idea.  The  lore  of  the 
medicine-men,  which  ought  to  decide  the  point,  does 
not  always  sustain  this  theory.  There  were  many 
gods  in  their  systems,  but  there  was  little  agreement 
as  to  the  supremacy  of  any  one.  Each  tribe  had  its 
favorite  divinity,  the  tendency  being  to  exalt  him 
until  a  “great  spirit”  of  local  jurisdiction  was 
evolved.  This  object  of  general  veneration  was  rep¬ 
resented  in  an  animal  form,  for,  as  we  have  observed 
already,  every  animal  was  in  the  abstract  an  earthly 
aspect  of  some  deity.  When,  therefore,  a  tribe  had 
evolved  its  “great  spirit,”  his  form  in  this  world 
was  identified  with  the  bear,  or  the  buffalo,  or  some 
other  available  creature,  which  became  the  totem  or 
object  of  everybody’s  superstition.  Many  savages  re¬ 
garded  themselves  as  descendants  of  their  totem.  If 
this  happened  to  be  an  elk,  they  must  refrain  from 
molesting  that  animal,  fearing  dire  penalties.  A 
poisonous  serpent  has  been  elevated  to  the  rank  of 
totem,  in  which  case  it  inspires  no  dread,  except 
among  traitors  to  the  tribe,  who  must  infallibly  die 
of  its  bite.  Many  totems  were  those  of  a  clan  rather 
than  of  a  whole  tribe.  They  were  drawn  or  cut  upon 
the  entrances  to  the  dwelling,  and  in  certain  cases 
were  tattooed  upon  the  clansman’s  body.  One  far 
western  tribe  had  adopted  the  head  of  the  buffalo  for 
its  totem,  another  the  tail.  Again,  a  totem  might 


82 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


inspire  such  awe  that  its  devotees  feared  to  look  at 
it.  Individuals  owing  allegiance  to  a  common  totem 
had  special  obligations  to  one  another.  This  circum¬ 
stance  led  to  the  formation  of  secret  covenants  which 
grew  into  cults,  presided  over  by  the  medicine-men. 

The  totem,  of  course,  invested  the  Indian  mythol¬ 
ogy  with  a  peculiar  solemnity.  Life  in  the  other  world 
was  considered  a  higher  type  of  the  life  of  this  world. 
The  red  men  conceived  the  gods  to  have  been  divided 
into  clans,  to  meet  for  common  action,  and  to  con¬ 
cern  themselves  with  the  fate  of  human  beings.  The 
gods  were  shades,  but  could  assume  any  material 
form,  and  their  magical  powers  were  infinite. '  They 
were  occasionally  pleased  to  descend  to  earth  in  hu¬ 
man  shape  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  Such  a  char¬ 
acter  was  Hiawatha,  the  wise,  who  came  down  from 
above  before  Columbus  had  reached  America.  He 
taught  men  the  ways  of  wisdom,  and  at  his  sugges¬ 
tion  the  great  confederacy  of  the  Iroquois  was 
formed.  While  the  tribesmen  were  in  council,  Hia¬ 
watha  and  his  beautiful  daughter  emerged  from  a 
canoe,  and  a  mighty  wind  was  heard.  The  heavens 
were  obscured  by  an  enormous  heron,  snow-white, 
which  overwhelmed  and  killed  the  maiden  in  its  rush 
and  slew  itself.  Hiawatha  grieved  for  his  child  but 
fulfilled  his  mission,  and  the  Iroquois  “became  a 
mighty  people.”  On  a  somewhat  lower  imaginative 
level  was  the  great  hero  Atatarho,  who  lived  alone  in 
a  cave,  drinking  from  the  skulls  of  his  fallen  foes. 
He  wore  garments  of  living  serpents  and  spent  his 
leisure  in  meditation,  solaced  by  his  pipe,  until  the 
Indian  tribes  about  his  home  made  him  the  chief 
of  their  confederacy.  Those  were  the  days  of  “Git- 
che  Manito,  the  mighty,  the  creator  of  the  nations,” 
or,  in  less  poetic  language,  of  some  period  of  storm 
and  stress  among  the  tribes  reflecting  itself  in  the 
cosmogony  of  the  medicine-man.  Thus  the  legends 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


83 


involve  themselves  with  the  real  and  the  unreal,  ap¬ 
pearing  in  many  shapes,  the  delight  of  the  poet  and 
the  despair  of  the  scientist. 

Immoderate  indulgence  in  dancing  and  open-air 
exercise,  varied  by  eating  to  repletion,  constituted 
the  leading  phases  of  social  life  to  the  Indian  mind. 
Outdoor  games  and  athletic  competitions  formed  an 
important  part  of  the  business  of  life  to  which  much 
time  was  devoted.  * 

Probably  the  most  celebrated  of  these  diversions 
was  a  match  between  two  sets  of  opposing  players 
with  the  object  of  carrying  or  throwing  a  ball 
through  the  ranks  of  those  on  the  other  side.  This 
game  was  played  without  any  particular  rules,  nor 
was  there  any  limit  to  the  number  of  players.  Hand 
implements  not  unlike  butterfly  nets  were  used  in 
the  pursuit  of  the  ball.  The  match  entailed  much 
dodging,  leaping  and  running,  and  was  regarded  as 
a  splendid  part  of  the  education  of  a  warrior,  fitting 
him  for  the  battlefield  and  giving  him  strength  and 
endurance.  A  game  of  this  kind  would  not  infre¬ 
quently  last  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and  was  par¬ 
ticipated  in  by  every  able-bodied  man  in  a  village, 
while  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  looked  on  and  ap¬ 
plauded.  Such  is  the  origin  of  the  modern  game  of 
lacrosse. 

Another  spirited  game  was  “snow-snake,”  a  win¬ 
ter  sport  of  immense  popularity.  A  solid  layer  of 
snow  over  all  the  land,  and  a  long,  slender  piece  of 
wood  curved  upward  at  one  end  were  the  requisites 
of  this  amusement.  The  object  was  to  see  who  could 
propel  the  piece  of  wood  farthest  over  the  hard  sur¬ 
face  of  the  snow.  This  looked  simple,  but  it  required 
great  deftness  and  muscular  power.  The  stick  had 
to  be  grasped  at  the  back  and  shot  forward  by  a 
movement  of  the  arm.  It  then  glided  over  the  snow, 
with  end  curved  upward  and  a  tremendous  move- 


84 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ment  that  strikingly  suggested  the  serpent.  Some  of 
the  braves  could,  it  is  said,  send  the  snow-snake  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  There  were  other  forms  of  this 
game,  which,  by  means  of  a  wheel-shaped  contriv¬ 
ance,  could  be  adapted  to  the  summer  season. 

The  squaws  had  their  ways  of  amusing  themselves 
as  well  as  the  braves.  Among  them  was  football, — 
not  the  kind  we  know,  but  a  game  with  the  object  of 
keeping  the  ball  up  in  the  air.  This  involved  ener¬ 
getic  and  constant  muscular  exercise.  Other  games 
were  played  with  pieces  of  bone  and  horn.  The  play¬ 
ers  sat  on  the  ground,  and  the  competition  was  one 
mostly  of  skill  in  tossing.  There  were  also  social 
diversions  and  forms  of  amusement  in  which  both 
the  braves  and  the  squaws  participated.  A  circle 
was  formed  about  a  blanket  or  a  fire,  while  some 
player  inside  or  outside  the  ring  tried  to  find  a  bone 
or  chip  that  passed  from  hand  to  hand. 

It  seems  clear  that  Indian  character  suffered  from 
an  inadequate  idea  of  the  social  value  of  the  sexes 
to  each  other.  In  general,  there  was  a  well-defined 
difference  between  the  work  of  a  man  and  that  of  a 
woman.  The  notion  entertained  of  woman's  sphere 
may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  enslaved  pris¬ 
oner  was  “degraded"  by  compelling  him  to  work  with 
the  squaws.  Women  gathered  the  firewood,  tilled 
the  ground,  if  the  tribe  happened  to  be  agricultural, 
hauled  the  household  goods  when  the  village  moved 
to  a  new  site,  cooked,  and  were  generally  useful.  The 
list  of  their  tasks,  it  must  be  remembered,  looks 
much  more  formidable  than  it  really  was,  for  there 
were  many  squaws  and  no  great  amount  of  toil  to  be 
done. 

There  seem  to  have  been  occasions  when  wives 
accompanied  their  husbands  on  hostile  expeditions, 
but  as  a  rule  they  stayed  at  home.  The  brave  could 
usually  dissolve  his  marriage  at  any  time,  but  the 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


85 


tendency  seems  to  have  been  among  the  strongest 
tribes  towards  monogamy.  The  Hurons  had  a  bad 
reputation  as  regards  the  relations  between  the 
sexes,  and  polygamy  was  practiced  in  many  tribes. 
Marriage  was  not  the  subject  of  any  definite  ethics, 
but  a  wife's  position  was  clearly  determined,  and  in 
her  home  she  was  mistress.  The  wigwam  was  usu¬ 
ally  known  by  the  wife's  name  when  it  had  any  desig¬ 
nation  at  all. 

Morally  and  intellectually  the  Indian  was  a  contra¬ 
diction.  He  had  the  instinct  of  vengeance  in  an  ex¬ 
traordinary  degree.  The  pursuit  of  a  foe  during 
many  years,  and  his  ruthless  slaughter  at  last,  were 
deemed  a  moral  proceeding.  Allusion  has  been  made 
more  than  once  to  Indian  treachery.  Certain  tribes 
were  very  proud  of  their  capacity  in  this  direction, 
as  tales  told  around  the  camp  fire  and  recorded  on 
high  authority  abundantly  prove.  The  infliction  of 
torture,  under  every  conceivable  circumstance  of 
horror  and  atrocity,  afforded  the  Indian  the  greatest 
of  his  many  inducements  to  war.  With  some  tribes, 
in  fact,  torture  was  a  cult  and  they  practiced  it  with 
diabolical  inventiveness  and  ingenuity.  Of  benev¬ 
olence  there  was  seldom  any  trace,  and  yet  this  must 
not  be  held  to  deny  the  existence  of  kindliness  within 
a  given  circle.  The  Indian  could  feel  a  sense  of  duty 
to  persons  of  real  or  nominal  relationship  to  himself, 
but  he  had  little  sense  of  his  duty  to  man  as  man. 
His  myths  and  traditions  show  a  kind  of  savage  eth¬ 
ics,  with  here  and  there  some  glimmering  of  a  noble 
idea  obscured  by  the  superstition  that  overgrows  it. 
His  theory  of  conduct  had  relations  almost  entirely 
to  physical  consequences. 

The  dog  was  the  companion  of  the  Indian  when 
Columbus  came,  but  no  other  domestic  animal  was  in 
his  service.  The  buffalo  was  never  tamed.  Nor  did 
the  red  man  know  what  to  do  with  the  ores  that 


86  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

\ 

cropped  richly  to  the  surface  of  the  ground  he  trod. 
It  was  as  much  as  he  could  accomplish  to  shape  a 
nugget  by  hammering  it.  Pottery,  outside  of  the 
Pueblo  region,  never  attained  importance,  although 
much  serviceable  ware  was  made  by  hand  and  dec¬ 
orated  tastefully.  Food  was  obtained  in  variety  and 
often  in  abundance.  The  vegetable  kingdom  yielded 
berries,  fruits,  maize,  maple  sugar  and  even  rice  of 
an  indigenous  wild  variety,  and  wild  honey.  Fish 
abounded,  but  certain  tribes  would  not  eat  this  sort 
of  food.  The  innumerable  creatures  of  the  forest  and 
prairie  supplied  the  larder,  and  rendered  want  a  con¬ 
sequence  only  of  primitive  savagery. 

Every  investigator  has  been  surprised  by  the  great 
number  of  dialects  prevailing  among  the  North 
American  Indians.  There  has  been  much  speculation 
as  to  the  cause  of  the  phenomenon,  some  referring  it 
to  the  isolation  of  clans  and  tribes  in  so  vast  a  space, 
while  others  think  the  mixture  of  tribes  resulting 
from  warfare  and  vicissitudes  must  be  held  respon¬ 
sible.  The  folk-lore  of  the  Indians  throws  little  light 
on  this  matter,  but  it  greatly  illuminates  every  other 
aspect  of  the  original  American’s  existence.  It  is 
thought  significant  of  a  childish  intellectual  condition 
that  the  animal  story  is  given  so  much  prominence. 
The  bear,  the  beaver,  the  buffalo,  the  coyote,  and 
the  grasshopper,  were  all  subjects  of  an  infinite  num¬ 
ber  of  fables.  There  seems  to  be  some  indefinite  con¬ 
nection  between  this  imaginativeness  and  the  lan¬ 
guage  in  which  its  imagery  finds  expression.  At  any 
rate,  a  theory  of  this  sort  has  given  a  decided  im¬ 
petus  in  recent  years  to  the  renewed  study  and  classi¬ 
fication  of  the  folk-lore.  The  wealth  of  material  is 
infinite.  Tales  of  wars  among  the  buffaloes,  of  ghost¬ 
ly  lovers,  and  star  maids,  or  of  the  woman  who  mar¬ 
ried  a  tree,  are,  in  this  view  of  the  case,  sources  of 
knowledge  that  may  yet  dispel  much  of  the  darkness 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


87 


in  which  the  history  of  the  pre-Columbian  redskin 
is  involved.  There  is  but  one  detail,  although  it  is 
an  important  one,  upon  which  anything  like  agree¬ 
ment  prevails.  The  characteristic  of  the  Indian  was 
childishness.  He  was  a  child  in  his  wars,  in  his  re¬ 
ligions,  in  the  boy-like  barbarity  of  which  he  was 
guilty. 

Precisely  what  the  Indians  could  have  had  to  go  to 
war  about  prior  to  the  time  of  Columbus  it  is  difficult 
to  imagine.  Their  wars  nevertheless  appear  to  have 
been  long  and  bloody.  By  the  beginning  of  the  six¬ 
teenth  century,  the  red  man  had  evolved  a  military 
code  of  his  own,  and,  of  course,  the  presence  of  the 
white  man  did  not  retard  his  development  as  a  fight¬ 
er.  The  “braves”  were  a  recognized  element  of 
standing  and  influence  in  the  Indian  village.  They 
were  the  strongest  and  most  active  of  the  young  men. 
With  more  or  less  regularity,  they  set  forth  together 
or  singly  in  pursuit  of  the  foe.  Their  weapons  on 
such  expeditions  were  arrows,  bludgeons,  axes,  dag¬ 
gers,  and  scalping-knives.  The  manufacture  of  these 
implements  was  inevitably  crude,  although  skill  of 
a  certain  primitive  kind  was  not  wanting.  But  the 
arrow  of  the  Indian  was  a  work  of  art.  The  head  of 
the  arrow  was  usually  of  quartz,  or  white  agate,  or 
kindred  substances,  pointed  with  delicate  precision 
into  the  acutest  of  barbs.  This  was  fixed  either  to 
a  stout  quill  or  to  a  hardwood  stick,  or  well-weighted 
rush,  and  whole  steadied  for  flight,  when  necessary, 
by  a  tail  of  feathers.  The  arrow-head  was  barbed  at 
the  back  very  often  to  prevent  its  easy  withdrawal 
by  a  victim.  Sometimes  the  arrow-head  was  made 
of  bone.  Sinew  and  thongs  secured  it  to  the  stick. 

The  bow  was  a  long,  curved  piece  of  hickory,  when¬ 
ever  that  wood  was  available.  Otherwise  any  suit¬ 
able  material,  even  buffalo  horns  and  driftwood,  could 
be  made  to  serve.  The  string  connecting  the  ends 


88 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


was  mostly  of  gut,  and  was  stretched  with  no  more 
tautness  than  would  permit  the  bending  of  the  bow 
to  the  full.  It  was  in  the  terrific  force  of  the  recoil 
thus  produced  that  the  deadliness  of  the  arrow's 
flight  originated.  Nothing  in  aboriginal  American 
life  was  so  terribly  impressive  as  the  silent  flight  of 
a  volley  of  arrows  among  the  foe.  The  braves  aimed 
from  ambush  whenever  possible.  Their  tactics  en¬ 
abled  flight  after  flight  of  arrows  to  be  poured  with 
consummate  skill  and  rapidity  into  the  very  center 
of  a  mass  of  panic-stricken  victims. 

The  arrows  having  been  discharged,  the  next 
movement  was  a  rush  of  the  braves  upon  the  enemy, 
provided  the  enemy  were  sufficiently  weak  and  help¬ 
less.  Then  the  scalping-knife  came  into  requisition. 
Scalping  was  a  simple  process  surgically,  but  it  re¬ 
quired  much  skill  and  experience  to  do  it  neatly  and 
with  speed.  The  brave  seized  the  locks  on  top  of  his 
victim's  head,  made  one  round  slash  with  the  knife 
and  ripped  the  skin  from  the  skull.  The  scalp  there¬ 
after  might  dangle  from  the  belt  of  the  brave,  or 
serve  some  other  purpose  of  adornment.  Its  pos¬ 
session  conveyed  to  the  savage  mind  the  idea  of  dis¬ 
tinction,  and  to  have  many  scalps  in  this  fashion  de¬ 
noted  a  personality  of  importance.  But  no  military 
authority  or  rank  seems  to  have  accompanied  these 
insignia  of  prowess,  although  they  constituted  a 
weighty  claim  to  preferment  in  the  tribe. 

Having  no  conception  of  the  regiment,  and  little 
imperative  need  of  discipline,  the  Indians  entirely 
lacked  war  organization.  Their  movements  were 
simply  planned  and  cruelly  executed.  The  silence  of 
the  forest  solitudes  and  the  stillness  of  evening  fur¬ 
thered  the  perpetration  of  every  imaginable ’treach¬ 
ery.  The  mother  and  her  babes  perished  as  they 
slept,  whole  villages  were  wiped  out  in  a  night,  and 
ruin  and  desolation  were  everywhere. 


AMERICAN  PREHISTORIC  RACES 


89 


The  tomahawk  was  a  battle-axe  with  a  stone  head. 
This  head  was  variously  fashioned,  sometimes  con¬ 
sisting  of  a  wedge-shaped  stone,  sharpened  to  a  cut¬ 
ting  edge  and  again  being  merely  the  pronged  frag¬ 
ment  of  a  deer-horn.  The  weapon  thus  produced  was 
not  unwieldy,  and  its  deadliness  was  unquestionable. 
Burying  the  tomahawk  .symbolized  peace  to  many 
tribes,  as  digging  it  up  was  equivalent  to  a  proclama¬ 
tion  of  war.  The  Indian  learned  much  from  the 
European  regarding  war,  and  he  taught  much  in 
return,  the  result  being  that  peculiar  form  of  hos¬ 
tility  known  in  our  early  history  as  “border  war¬ 
fare.”  The  red  man  made,  all  things  considered,  a 
bad  ally,  but  a  formidable  foe.  He  changed  sides  at 
almost  a  moment's  notice,  and  made  peace  as  readily 
as  he  went  to  war.  In  some  few  tribes  fighting  was 
the  business  of  a  particular  clan  or  clans,  but  the  no¬ 
tion  of  a  military  .caste  was  otherwise  foreign  to  the 
Indian  mind.  The  distinction  between  officers  and 
men  did  not  exist,  the  authority  of  the  chief  in  actual 
battle  having  not  the  slightest  relation  to  the  course 
of  events.  Here  again,  however,  the  influence  of  the 
white  man  asserted  itself,  and  the  Indians  of  the 
colonial  period  had  done  much  in  the  direction  of  a 
scientific  military  system. 


CHAPTER  III. 


SPANISH  DISCOVERIES  AND  CONQUESTS 

South  Sea. — First  Voyage  Around  the  World. — Ponce  de 
Leon. — Florida,  Discovery  and  Attempt  to  Settle. — Vas- 
quez  de  Ayllon. — Conquest  of  Mexico  and  Peru. 

In  a  few  years  the  Spaniards  subdued  and  colon¬ 
ized  the  most  important  islands  of  the  West  Indies. 
The  poor  timid  natives  were  either  murdered  or  re¬ 
duced  to  slavery.  Unheard  of  cruelties  in  a  short 
time  wasted,  and  almost  exterminated,  the  entire 
race. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  possession  of  these  islands, 
the  Spaniards  made  further  discoveries  from  time 
to  time  around  the  Gulf  of  Mexico ;  they  explored  the 
southern  part  of  the  peninsula  of  Yucatan;  they 
planted  a  colony  on  the  narrow  Isthmus  of  Darien. 
Until  this  time,  no  settlement  had  been  made  on  the 
Western  Continent. 

When  in  search  of  gold,  Nunex  de  Balboa,  the  gov¬ 
ernor  of  this  colony,  made  an  exploring  tour  into  the 
interior,  he  ascended  a  high  mountain,  and  from  its 
top  his  eyes  were  greeted  with  the  sight  of  a  vast 
expanse  of  water  extending  away  to  the  south,  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach.  He  called  it  the  South  Sea. 
But  seven  years  later,  Magellan,  a  Portuguese  mar¬ 
iner  in  the  service  of  Spain,  passed  through  the  dan¬ 
gerous  and  stormy  straits  which  bear  his  name ;  and 
sailing  out  into  the  great  field  of  waters,  found  it  so 
calm,  so  free  from  storms,  that  he  called  it  the  Pacific 
or  peaceful  ocean.  Magellan  died  on  the  voyage,  but 
his  ship  reached  the  coast  of  Asia,  and  thence  re- 


SPANISH  DISCOVERIES  AND  CONQUESTS 


91 


turned  home  to  Spain  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  thus 
realizing  the  vision  of  Columbus,  that  the  world  was 
a  globe,  and  could  be  sailed  round. 

Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  a  former  governor  of  Porto 
Rico,  fitted  out  at  his  own  expense  three  ships  to 
make  a  voyage  of  discovery.  He  had  heard  from 
the  natives  of  Porto  Rico  that  somewhere  in  the 
Bahama  Islands,  was  a  fountain  that  would  restore 
to  the  vigor  of  youth  all  those  who  should  drink  of 
its  waters  or  bathe  in  its  stream.  This  absurd  story 
many  of  the  Spaniards  believed,  and  none  more  firm¬ 
ly  than  De  Leon.  He  was  an  old  man,  and  anxious 
{o  renew  his  youthful  pleasures;  with  eager  hopes 
he  hastened  in  search  of  the  marvelous  fountain. 

He  did  not  find  it,  but  in  coasting  along  to  the  west 
of  the  islands,  he  came  in  sight  of  an  unknown  coun¬ 
try.  It  appeared  to  bloom  with  flowers,  and  to  be 
covered  with  magnificent  forests.  As  this  country 
was  first  seen  on  Easter  Sunday,  which  the  Spaniards 
call  Pascua  Florida,  he  named  it  Florida.  With  great 
difficulty  he  landed  to  the  north  of  where  St.  Augus¬ 
tine  now  stands,  and  took  formal  possession  of  the 
country  in  the  name  of  the  Spanish  sovereign.  He 
sailed  to  the  south  along  the  unknown  and  dangerous 
coast,  around  the  extreme  point,  Cape  Florida,  and 
to  the  south-west  among  the  Tortugas  islands.  He 
received  for  his  services  the  honor  of  being  appointed 
Governor  of  Florida  by  the  King  of  Spain, — rather 
an  expensive  honor,  being  based  on  the  condition  that 
he  should  colonize  the  country. 

A  year  or  two  afterward,  he  attempted  to  plant  a 
colony,  but  found  the  natives  exceedingly  hostile. 
They  attacked  him  and  his  men  with  great  fury — 
Tnany  were  killed,  the  rest  were  forced  to  flee  to  their 
ships,  and  Ponce  de  Leon  himself  was  mortally 
wounded.  He  had  been  a  soldier  of  Spain;  a  com¬ 
panion  of  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage ;  had  been 


92 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


governor  of  Porto  Rico,  where  he  had  oppressed  the 
natives  with  great  cruelty ;  he  had  sought  an  exemp¬ 
tion  from  the  ills  of  old  age ;  had  attempted  to  found 
a  colony  and  gain  the  immortality  of  fame.  But  he 
returned  to  Cuba  to  die,  without  planting  his  colony 
or  drinking  of  the  fountain  of  youth. 

About  this  time  was  made  the  first  attempt  to  ob¬ 
tain  Indians  from  the  Continent  as  slaves  to  work  in 
the  mines  and  on  the  plantations  of  Hispaniola  or  St. 
Domingo.  The  ignominy  of  this  attempt  belongs  to 
a  company  of  seven  men,  the  most  distinguished  of 
whom  was  Lucas  Vasquez  de  Ayllon.  They  went 
first  to  the  Bahama  Islands,  thence  they  passed  to 
the  coast  of  the  present  State  of  South  Carolina, 
landing  at  or  near  St.  Helena  Sound. 

The  natives  of  this  region  knew  not  as  yet  what 
they  had  to  fear  from  Europeans.  They  were,  how¬ 
ever,  shy  at  first,  but  after  presents  had  been  dis¬ 
tributed  among  them,  they  received  the  strangers 
kindly.  They  were  invited  to  visit  the  ships.  Curi¬ 
osity  overcame  their  timidity,  and  they  went  on 
board  in  crowds.  The  treacherous  Spaniards  im¬ 
mediately  set  sail  for  St.  Domingo,  regardless  of  the 
sorrows  they  inflicted  upon  the  victims  of  their  cruel¬ 
ty  and  avarice.  Thus  far  their  plot  was  successful ; 
soon,  however,  a  storm  arose,  and  one  of  the  ships 
went  down  with  all  on  board;  sickness  and  death 
carried  off  many  of  the  captives  on  the  other  vessel. 
Such  outrages  upon  the  natives  were  common;  and 
instead  of  being  condemned  and  punished,  they  were 
commended.  Vasquez  went  to  Spain,  boasting  of  his 
expedition  as  if  it  had  been  praiseworthy.  As  a  re¬ 
ward,  he  received  from  the  Spanish  monarch  a  com¬ 
mission  to  conquer  the  country. 

When  he  had  expended  his  fortune  in  preparations, 
he  set  sail,  and  landed  upon  the  coast.  Bitter  wrongs 
had  been  inflicted  upon  the  natives,  and  their  spirit 


SPANISH  DISCOVERIES  AND  CONQUESTS 


93 


was  roused.  They  attacked  him  with  great  vigor, 
killed  nearly  all  his  men,  and  forced  him  to  give  up 
the  enterprise.  It  is  said  that  grief  and  disappoint¬ 
ment  hastened  the  death  of  Vasquez. 

The  Spaniards  were  more  successful  elsewhere. 
The  explorers  of  the  west  coast  of  the  Gulf  had  heard 
of  the  famed  empire  of  Mexico  and  its  golden  riches. 
As  evidence  of  the  truth  of  these  marvelous  stories, 
they  exhibited  the  costly  presents  given  them  by 
the  unsuspecting  natives.  Under  the  lead  of  Fernan¬ 
do  Cortez,  six  hundred  and  seventeen  adventurers  in¬ 
vaded  the  empire;  and  though  they  met  with  the 
most  determined  resistance,  in  the  end  Spanish  arms 
and  skill  prevailed.  Defeated  at  every  point,  and 
disheartened  at  the  death  of  their  emperor,  Monte¬ 
zuma,  the  Mexicans  submitted,  and  their  empire  be¬ 
came  a  province  of  Spain.  Just  three  hundred  years 
from  that  time,  the  province  threw  off  the  Spanish 
yoke  and  become  a  republic. 

Rumor  told  also  of  the  splendor  and  wealth  of  a 
great  empire  lying  to  the  south,  known  as  Peru. 
Pizarro,  another  daring  adventurer,  set  out  from 
Panama  with  only  one  hundred  foot  soldiers  and 
sixty-seven  horsemen  to  invade  and  conquer  it.  Af¬ 
ter  enduring  toil  and  labors  almost  unparalleled,  he 
succeeded;  and  that  empire,  containing  millions  of 
inhabitants,  wealthy,  and  quite  civilized,  was  reduced 
to  a  province.  Pizarro  founded  Lima,  which  became 
his  capital.  He  oppressed  the  natives  with  great 
cruelty,  and  accumulated  unbounded  wealth  drawn 
from  mines  of  the  precious  metals,  but  after  a  rule 
of  nine  years  he  fell  a  victim  to  a  conspiracy. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


ENGLISH  AND  FRENCH  DISCOVERIES 

John  Cabot  Discovers  the  American  Continent. — Enterprise  of 
His  Son  Sebastian. — Voyages  of  Verrazzani  and  Cartier. 
— Attempts  at  Settlement. 

Whilst  these  discoveries,  conquests,  and  settle¬ 
ments  were  in  progress  in  the  South,  a  series  of  dis¬ 
coveries  was  going  on  in  the  North. 

John  Cabot,  a  native  of  Venice,  residing,  as  a  mer¬ 
chant,  in  Bristol,  in  the  west  of  England,  made  appli¬ 
cation  to  Henry  VII.,  the  reigning  sovereign,  for  per¬ 
mission  to  go  on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  The  king 
gave  to  Cabot  and  his  three  sons  a  patent,  or  commis¬ 
sion,  granting  them  certain  privileges.  This  is  said 
to  be  the  most  ancient  state  paper  of  England  rela¬ 
ting  to  America. 

As  Henry  VII.  was  proverbially  prudent  in  money 
matters,  he  would  not  aid  the  Cabots  by  sharing  with 
them  the  expense  of  the  expedition,  but  he  was  care¬ 
ful  to  bind  them  to  land,  on  their  return,  at  the  port 
of  Bristol,  and  pay  him  one-fifth  part  of  the  profits 
of  their  trade.  They  were,  in  the  name  of  the  king, 
to  take  possession  of  all  the  territories  they  should 
discover,  and  to  have  the  exclusive  privilege  of  trad¬ 
ing  to  them. 

Bristol,  at  this  time,  was  the  greatest  commercial 
town  in  the  West  of  England,  and  had  trained  up 
multitudes  of  hardy  seamen.  These  seamen  had 
become  habituated  to  the  storms  of  the  ocean,  by 
battling  tempests  in  the  Northern  seas  around  Ice¬ 
land,  in  their  yearly  fishing  excursions.  It  is  quite 


ENGLISH  AND  FRENCH  DISCOVERIES 


95 


probable  they  had  there  heard  the  tradition,  that  at 
a  remote  period  the  Icelanders  had  discovered  a  coun¬ 
try  to  the  west  of  their  island. 

Cabot  and  his  son  Sebastian  sailed  almost  due 
west,  and  before  long  discovered  the  American  conti¬ 
nent,  it  is  supposed  near  the  fifty-sixth  degree  of 
north  latitude.  What  must  have  been  their  sur¬ 
prise  to  find,  in  the  latitude  of  England,  a  land 
dreary  with  snow  and  ice,  barren  rocks,  frowning 
cliffs,  polar  bears,  and  wild  savages !  This  discovery 
was  made  more  than  a  year  before  Columbus,  on  his 
third  voyage,  saw  the  South  American  coast,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Orinoco. 

Thus  the  western  continent  was  discovered  by 
private  enterprise  alone.  The  next  year  a  voyage 
was  undertaken  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  and  also 
to  ascertain  if  the  country  was  suitable  for  making 
settlements.  The  king  now  ventured  to  become  a 
partner  in  the  speculation,  and  defrayed  some  of  the 
expense.  Sebastian  Cabot  sailed,  with  a  company  of 
three  hundred  men,  for  Labrador,  and  landed  still 
further  north  than  at  his  first  voyage.  The  severity 
of  the  cold,  though  it  was  the  commencement  of 
summer,  and  the  barrenness  of  the  country,  deterred 
him  from  remaining  any  length  of  time.  He  sailed 
to  the  South  and  explored  the  coast,  till  want  of  pro¬ 
visions  forced  him  to  return  home.  The  family  of 
the  Cabots  derived  no  benefit  from  their  discovery,  as 
the  trade  to  those  barren  regions  amounted  to  noth¬ 
ing. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  so  little  is  known  of 
the  many  voyages  of  Sebastian  Cabot.  Around  his 
name  there  lingers  a  pleasing  interest.  He  is  repre¬ 
sented  as  being  very  youthful,  not  more  than  twenty 
years  of  age,  when  he  went  on  his  first  voyage.  Mild 
and  courteous  in  his  manners;  determined  in  pur¬ 
pose,  and  persevering  in  execution;  with  a  mind  of 


96 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


extraordinary  activity ;  daring  in  his  enterprises,  but 
never  rash  or  imprudent;  he  won  the  hearts  of  his 
sailors  by  his  kindness,  and  commanded  their  respect 
by  his  skill.  Such  was  the  man  who,  for  more  than 
fifty  years,  was  the  foremost  in  maritime  adventure. 
He  explored  the  eastern  coast  of  South  America; 
sailed  within  twenty  degrees  of  the  North  Pole,  in 
search  of  the  North-Western  passage ;  and  at  differ¬ 
ent  times  explored  the  eastern  coast  of  this  conti¬ 
nent,  from  Hudson’s  straits  to  Albemarle  sound. 

The  Cabots  had  noticed  the  immense  shoals  of 
fish  which  frequented  the  waters  around  Newfound¬ 
land.  The  English  prosecuted  these  fisheries,  but  to 
no  great  extent,  as  they  continued  to  visit  the  Ice¬ 
landic  seas.  French  fishermen,  however,  availed 
themselves  of  the  way  opened  by  their  rivals,  and 
prosecuted  them  with  great  vigor.  Plans  for  plant¬ 
ing  colonies  in  those  regions  were  often  proposed  in 
France,  yet  nothing  was  done  beyond  the  yearly 
visits  of  the  fishermen.  Francis  I.  was  finally  in¬ 
duced  to  attempt  further  explorations.  For  this  pur¬ 
pose  he  employed  Verrazzani,  a  native  of  Florence, 
in  Italy,  a  navigator  of  some  celebrity,  to  take  charge 
of  an  expedition.  This  was  the  first  voyage,  for  the 
purpose  of  discovery,  undertaken  at  the  expense  of 
the  French  government. 

Verrazzani  sailed  south  to  the  Madeira  Isles,  and 
thence  due  west,  in  quest  of  new  countries.  On  the 
passage  he  battled  a  terrible  tempest,  but  at  length 
saw  land  in  the  latitude  of  Wilmington,  North  Caro¬ 
lina.  No  good  harbor  could  be  found  as  he  coasted 
along  to  the  south  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
Then  turning  north,  he  cast  anchor  from  time  to 
time  and  explored  the  coast.  The  surprise  of  the 
natives  and  that  of  the  voyagers  was  mutual;  the 
one  wondered  at  the  white  strangers,  their  ships  and 
equipments;  the  other  at  the  “russet  color”  of  the 


ENGLISH  AND  FRENCH  DISCOVERIES 


97 


simple  natives ;  their  dress  of  skins  set  off  with  var¬ 
ious  rude  ornaments  and  gaudy-colored  feathers. 
The  imagination  of  the  voyagers  had  much  to  do  with 
the  report  they  made  of  their  discoveries.  The 
groves,  they  said,  bloomed  with  flowers,  whose  frag¬ 
rance  greeted  them  far  from  the  shore,  reminding 
them  of  the  spices  of  the  East ;  the  reddish  color  of 
the  earth  was,  no  doubt,  caused  by  gold. 

The  explorers  examined  carefully  the  spacious 
harbors  of  New  York  and  Newport.  In  the  latter 
they  remained  fifteen  days.  They  noticed  the  fine 
personal  appearance  of  the  natives,  who  were  hos¬ 
pitable,  but  could  not  be  induced  to  trade,  and  ap¬ 
peared  to  be  ignorant  of  the  use  of  iron.  They  con¬ 
tinued  their  voyage  along  the  then  nameless  shores 
of  New  England  to  Novia  Scotia,  and  still  further 
north.  There  the  natives  were  hostile;  they  had 
learned,  by  sad  experience,  the  cruelty  and  treachery 
of  white  men.  Gaspar  Cortereal,  a  Portuguese,  some 
years  before,  had  visited  their  coast,  stolen  some  of 
their  friends,  and  sold  them  into  slavery.  They  were 
willing  to  trade  for  instruments  of  iron  or  steel,  but 
were  very  cautious,  fearful  of  again  being  entrapped. 

After  his  return  Verrazzani  published  a  narrative 
of  his  voyage,  giving  much  more  information  of  the 
country  than  had  hitherto  been  known.  On  the 
ground  of  his  discoveries,  France  laid  claim  to  the 
territory  extending  from  South  Carolina  to  New¬ 
foundland. 

Ten  years  after,  an  expedition  was  sent,  under 
James  Cartier,  a  mariner  of  St.  Malo,  to  make  further 
discoveries,  with  the  ultimate  design  of  founding  a 
colony.  His  voyage  was  very  successful ;  he  reached 
Newfoundland  in  twenty  days;  passed  through  the 
Straits  of  Belleisle ;  sailed  to  the  south-west  across  a 
gulf  and  entered  a  bay;  which,  from  the  extreme 
heat  of  the  weather,  he  named  Des  Chaleurs.  Coast- 


98 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


in g  along  still  further  west  he  landed  at  the  inlet 
called  Gaspe,  where  he  took  formal  possession  of  the 
country,  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign.  This  he  did 
by  planting  a  cross,  surmounted  by  the  lilies  of 
France,  and  bearing  a  suitable  inscription.  Continu¬ 
ing  his  course  still  further  west,  he  entered  the 
mouth  of  a  great  estuary,  into  which  he  ascertained 
flowed  an  immense  river,  larger  by  far  than  any 
river  in  Europe.  These  explorations  were  made  dur¬ 
ing  the  months  of  July  and  August.  It  was  now 
necessary  for  him  to  return  home. 

His  account  of  the  climate  as  “hotter  than  that  of 
Spain,”  and  of  the  country  as  “the  fairest  that  can 
possibly  be  found of  its  “sweet-smelling  trees of 
its  “strawberries,  blackberries,  prunes  and  wild 
corn;”  its  “figs,  apples  and  other  fruits,”  together 
with  his  description  of  the  great  gulf  and  noble  river, 
excited  in  France  the  most  intense  interest. 

Immediately  plans  were  devised  to  colonize  the 
country.  The  court  entered  into  the  scheme.  Some 
of  the  young  nobility  volunteered  to  become  col¬ 
onists.  By  the  following  May  the  arrangements 
were  completed.  Cartier,  “who  was  very  religious,” 
first  conducted  his  company  to  the  cathedral,  where 
they  received  the  bishop's  blessing,  then  set  sail, 
with  high  hopes  of  founding  a  State  in  what  was 
then  called  New  France. 

After  a  somewhat  stormy  passage,  he  reached  the 
northern  part  of  the  gulf,  on  the  day  of  St.  Lawrence 
the  Martyr,  in  honor  of  whom  it  was  named — in  time, 
the  name  was  applied  to  the  river  also. 

The  strangers  were  received  hospitably  by  the 
natives.  Cartier  ascended  the  river  in  a  boat  to  an 
island,  on  which  was  the  principal  Indian  settlement. 
It  was  in  the  mild  and  pleasant  month  of  September. 
He  ascended  a  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  lay  the  In¬ 
dian  village;  he  was  enraptured  by  the  magnificent 


ENGLISH  AND  FRENCH  DISCOVERIES 


99 


scene ;  the  river  before  him  evidently  drained  a  vast 
territory;  the  natives  told  him  “that  it  went  so  far 
to  the  west,  that  they  had  never  heard  of  any  man 
who  had  gone  to  the  head  of  it.”  He  named  the  hill 
Mont-Real,  Royal-Mount;  a  name  since  transferred 
to  the  island,  and  to  the  city. 

This  country  was  in  the  same  latitude  with 
France ;  he  thought  its  climate  must  be  equally  mild, 
its  soil  equally  fertile ;  and  that  it  might  become  the 
home  of  a  happy  and  industrious  people,  and  this 
beautiful  island  the  center  of  an  almost  unbounded 
commerce.  He  did  not  know  that  God  had  sent  the 
warm  waters  to  the  south  through  the  Gulf  Stream  to 
the  west  of  Europe;  that  they  warmed  the  bleak 
west  winds,  and  made  the  delightful  climate  of  his 
native  France  different  from  that  in  the  same  lati¬ 
tude  in  North  America.* 

A  rigorous  winter  dissipated  his  visions.  His 
honest  narrative  of  the  voyage,  and  of  the  intense 
coldness  of  the  climate  deterred  his  countrymen  from 
making  further  attempts  to  colonize  the  country. 
There  was  no  gold  nor  silver  to  be  found — no  mines 
of  precious  stones.  What  inducement  was  there  for 
men  to  leave  their  fertile  and  beautiful  France,  with 
its  mild  and  healthful  climate,  to  shiver  on  the  banks 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  ? 

Thus  it  remained  for  four  years.  Among  many 
who  thought  it  unworthy  a  great  nation  not  to  found 
a  State  on  the  shores  of  the  magnificent  gulf  and 
river  of  the  New  World,  was  a  nobleman  of  Picardy, 
Francis  de  la  Roque,  lord  of  Roberval.  He  obtained 
a  commission  from  Francis  I.  to  plant  a  colony,  with 
full  legal  authority  as  viceroy  over  the  territories  and 
regions  on  or  near  the  Gulf  and  River  of  St.  Law- 

*  “The  quantity  of  heat  discharged  over  the  Atlantic  from  the  waters  of  the 
Gulf  Stream  in  a  winter’s  day,  would  be  sufficient  to  raise  the  whole  column  of 
atmosphere  that  rests  upon  France  and  the  British  Isles,  from  the  freezing  point 
to  summer  heat.” — Maury's  Physical  Geography  of  the  Sea,  p.  51. 


100 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


rence.  These  were  to  be  known  in  history  under  the 
ambitious  name  of  Norimbega. 

Cartier  was  induced  by  Roberval  to  receive  a  com¬ 
mission  as  chief  pilot  of  the  expedition.  They  did 
not  act  in  concert ;  both  were  tenacious  of  honor  and 
authority,  and  they  were  jealous  of  each  other. 

Cartier  sailed  the  following  spring,  passed  up  the 
river,  and  built  a  fort  near  where  Quebec  now  stands. 
To  establish  a  prosperous  colony,  virtue,  industry, 
and  perseverance  must  be  found  in  the  colonists. 
The  first  enterprise,  composed  of  young  noblemen 
and  amateur  colonists  failed,  as  might  have  been  ex¬ 
pected.  In  the  second  attempt  they  went  to  the  other 
extreme, — the  colonists  were  criminals,  drawn  from 
the  prisons  of  France. 

During  the  winter  Cartier  hung  one  of  them  for 
theft;  put  some  in  irons;  and  whipped  others,  men 
and  women,  for  minor  faults.  In  the  spring,  just  as 
Roberval  himself  arrived  with  a  reinforcement,  he 
slipped  off  to  France,  heartily  disgusted  with  his  win¬ 
ter's  occupation.  Roberval  remained  about  a  year, 
and  then  returned  home,  perfectly  willing  to  resign 
the  viceroyalty  of  Norimbega,  and  retire  to  his 
estates  in  Picardy.  After  a  lapse  of  fifty  years,  a 
successful  attempt  was  made  by  the  French  to  col¬ 
onize  the  same  territory. 


CHAPTER  V. 


DE  SOTO  AND  THE  MISSISSIPPI 

The  name  Florida  was  given  by  the  Spaniards  to 
the  entire  southern  portion  of  the  United  States. 
Their  attempts  to  conquer  this  territory  had  hither¬ 
to  failed.  For  some  unexplained  reason,  the  most 
exaggerated  stories  were  told  of  the  richness  of  the 
country;  there  was  no  evidence  of  their  truth,  yet 
they  were  implicitly  believed. 

The  success  of  Cortez  in  conquering  Mexico,  and 
of  Pizarro  in  conquering  Peru,  excited  the  emulation 
of  Ferdinand  de  Soto.  He  had  been  a  companion  of 
Pizarro ;  had  gained  honors  by  his  valor,  and,  in  ac¬ 
cordance  with  the  morals  of  the  times,  had  accumu¬ 
lated  an  immense  amount  of  wealth  by  various 
means  of  extortion.  Still,  it  must  be  said  in  his 
favor,  that  he  was,  by  far,  the  most  humane  of  any 
of  the  Spanish  officers  who  pillaged  Mexico  and 
Peru.  Foreseeing  the  endless  quarrels  and  jealousies 
of  the  Spaniards  in  Peru,  he  prudently  retired  to 
Spain  with  his  ill-gotten  gains. 

Ambition  did  not  permit  him  to  remain  long  in 
retirement.  He  panted  for  a  name,  for  military 
glory,  to  surpass  the  two  conquerors  of  the  New 
World.  He  asked  permission  to  conquer  Florida  at 
his  own  expense.  The  request  was  graciously 
granted  by  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  He  also  re¬ 
ceived  an  honor  much  more  grateful  to  his  ambition ; 
he  was  appointed  governor  of  Cuba,  and  of  all  the 
countries  he  should  conquer. 

The  announcement  that  he  was  about  to  embark  on 


102 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


this  enterprise,  excited  in  Spain  the  highest  hopes, — 
hopes  of  military  glory  and  of  unbounded  wealth. 
Enthusiastic  men  said  these  hopes  must  be  realized ; 
there  were  cities  in  the  interior  of  Florida  as  rich, 
if  not  richer  than  those  of  Mexico  or  Peru ;  temples 
equally  splendid,  to  be  plundered  of  their  golden  or¬ 
naments.  Volunteers  offered  in  crowds,  many  of 
noble  birth,  and  all  proud  to  be  led  by  so  renowned  a 
chief.  From  these  numerous  applicants  De  Soto 
chose  six  hundred  men,  in  “the  bloom  of  life.”  The 
enthusiasm  was  so  great,  that  it  appeared  more  like 
a  holiday  excursion  than  a  military  expedition. 

He  sailed  for  Cuba,  where  he  was  received  with 
great  distinction.  Leaving  his  wife  to  govern  the 
island,  he  sailed  for  Florida,  and  landed  at  Espiritu 
Santo,  now  Tampa  bay.  He  never  harbored  the 
thought  that  his  enterprise  could  fail.  He  sent  his 
ships  back  to  Cuba ;  thus,  in  imitation  of  Cortez,  he 
deprived  his  followers  of  the  means  to  return.  Vol¬ 
unteers  in  Cuba  had  increased  his  army  to  nearly  one 
thousand  men,  of  whom  three  hundred  were  horse¬ 
men,  all  well  armed.  Everything  was  provided  that 
De  Soto’s  foresight  and  experience  could  suggest; 
ample  stores  of  provisions,  and  for  future  supplies, 
a  drove  of  swine,  for  which  Indian  corn  and  the  fruits 
of  the  forest  would  furnish  an  abundance  of  food. 
The  company  was  provided  with  cards,  that  they 
might  spend  their  “leisure  time  in  gaming a  dozen 
of  priests,  that  the  “festivals  of  the  church  might 
be  kept,”  and  her  ceremonies  rigidly  performed; 
chains  for  the  captive  Indians,  and  bloodhounds,  to 
track  and  tear  them  in  pieces,  should  they  attempt  to 
escape ; — incongruities  of  which  the  adventurers 
seemed  unconscious. 

They  now  commenced  their  march  through  path¬ 
less  forests.  The  Indian  guides,  who  had  been  kid¬ 
napped  on  former  invasions,  soon  learned  that  they 


DE  SOTO  AND  THE  MISSISSIPPI 


103 


were  in  search  of  gold.  Anxious  to  lead  them  as  far 
as  possible  from  the  neighborhood  of  their  own 
tribes,  they  humored  their  fancies,  and  told  them  of 
regions  far  away,  where  the  precious  metal  was 
abundant.  In  one  instance  they  pointed  to  the  north¬ 
east,  where  they  said  the  people  understood  the  art 
of  refining  it,  and  sent  them  away  over  the  rivers 
and  plains  of  Georgia.  It  is  possible  they  may  have 
referred  to  the  gold  region  of  North  Carolina. 

When  one  of  the  guides  honestly  confessed  that 
he  knew  of  no  such  country,  De  Soto  ordered  him  to 
be  burned  for  telling  an  untruth.  From  this  time 
onward  the  guides  continued  to  allure  the  Spaniards 
on  in  search  of  a  golden  region, — a  region  they  were 
ever  approaching,  but  never  reached. 

At  length  the  men  grew  weary  of  wandering 
through  forests  and  swamps ;  they  looked  for  cities, 
rich  and  splendid,  they  found  only  Indian  towns, 
small  and  poor,  whose  finest  buildings  were  wig¬ 
wams.  They  wished  to  return ;  but  De  Soto  was  de¬ 
termined  to  proceed,  and  his  faithful  followers  sub¬ 
mitted.  They  pillaged  the  Indians  of  their  provi¬ 
sions,  thus  rendered  them  hostile,  and  many  conflicts 
ensued.  They  treated  their  captives  with  great  bar¬ 
barity  ;  wantonly  cut  off  their  hands,  burned  them  at 
the  stake,  suffered  them  to  be  torn  in  pieces  by  the 
bloodhounds,  or  chained  them  together  with  iron  col¬ 
lars,  and  compelled  them  to  carry  their  baggage. 

They  moved  toward  the  southwest,  and  came  into 
the  neighborhood  of  a  large  walled  town,  named 
Mavilla,  since  Mobile.  It  was  a  rude  town,  but  it 
afforded  a  better  shelter  than  the  forests  and  the 
open  plains,  and  they  wished  to  occupy  it.  The 
Indians  resisted,  and  a  fierce  battle  ensued.  The 
Spanish  cavalry  gained  a  victory, — a  victory  dearly 
bought;  the  town  was  burned,  and  with  it  nearly 
all  their  baggage. 


104 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


Meantime,  according  to  appointment,  ships  from 
Cuba  had  arrived  at  Pensacola.  De  Soto  would  not 
confess  that  he  had  thus  far  failed;  he  would  send 
no  news  until  he  had  rivalled  Cortez  in  military  re¬ 
nown.  They  now  directed  their  course  to  the  north¬ 
west,  and  spent  the  following  winter  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State  of  Mississippi.  From  the  Indian 
corn  in  the  fields  they  obtained  food,  and  made  their 
winter  quarters  in  a  deserted  town.  When  spring 
returned,  a  demand  was  made  of  the  Chickasaw 
chief  to  furnish  men  to  carry  their  baggage.  The 
indignant  chief  refused.  The  hostile  Indians  de¬ 
ceived  the  sentinels,  and  in  the  night  set  fire  to  the 
village  and  attacked  the  Spaniards,  but  after  a  se¬ 
vere  contest  they  were  repulsed.  It  was  another 
dear  victory  to  the  invaders;  the  little  they  had 
saved  from  the  flames  at  Mobile  was  now  consumed. 
This  company,  once  so  “brilliant  in  silks  and  glitter¬ 
ing  armor,”  were  now  scantily  clothed  in  skins,  and 
mats  made  of  ivy. 

Again  they  commenced  their  weary  wanderings, 
and  before  many  days  found  themselves  on  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi.  De  Soto  expressed  no  feelings 
of  pleasure  or  of  admiration  at  the  discovery  of  the 
magnificent  river,  with  its  ever-flowing  stream  of 
turbid  waters.  Ambition  and  avarice  consume  the 
finer  feelings  of  the  soul ;  they  destroy  the  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  what  is  noble  in  man  and  beautiful  in  na¬ 
ture.  De  Soto  was  only  anxious  to  cross  the  river 
and  press  on  in  search  of  cities  and  gold.  A  month 
elapsed  before  boats  could  be  built  to  transport  the 
horses.  At  length  they  were  ready,  and  white  men, 
for  the  first  time,  launched  forth  upon  the  Father  of 
Waters. 

The  natives  on  the  west  bank  received  the  stran¬ 
gers  kindly,  and  gave  them  presents.  The  Indians  of 
southern  Missouri  supposed  them  to  be  superior  be- 


DE  SOTO  AND  THE  MISSISSIPPI 


105 


ings — children  of  the  sun — and  they  brought  them 
their  blind  to  be  restored  to  sight.  De  Soto  answered 
them,  “The  Lord  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth: 
pray  to  Him  only  for  whatsoever  ye  need.”  Here 
they  remained  forty  days ;  sent  out  explorers  further 
north,  who  reported  that  buffaloes  were  so  numerous 
in  that  region  that  corn  could  not  be  raised ;  that  the 
inhabitants  were  few,  and  lived  by  hunting.  They 
wandered  two  hundred  miles  further  west;  then 
turned  to  the  south,  and  went  nearly  as  far,  among 
Indians  who  were  an  agricultural  people,  living  in 
villages,  and  subsisting  upon  the  produce  of  the  soil. 

In  this  region  another  winter  was  passed.  It  was 
now  almost  three  years  since  De  Soto  had  landed  at 
Tampa  bay.  With  all  his  toil  and  suffering,  he  had 
accomplished  nothing.  In  the  spring,  he  descended 
the  Wachita  to  the  Red  River,  and  thence  once  more 
to  the  Mississippi.  There  he  learned  that  the  coun¬ 
try,  extending  to  the  sea,  was  a  waste  of  swamps, 
where  no  man  dwelt. 

His  cup  of  disappointment  was  full;  his  pride, 
which  had  hitherto  sustained  him,  must  confess  that 
his  enterprise  had  been  a  failure.  He  had  set  out 
with  higher  hopes  than  any  Spanish  conqueror  of 
the  New  World;  now  his  faithful  band  was  wasted 
by  disease  and  death.  He  was  far  from  aid ;  a  deep 
gloom  settled  upon  his  spirit;  his  soul  was  agitated 
by  a  conflict  of  emotions;  a  violent  fever  was  in¬ 
duced;  and  when  sinking  rapidly,  he  called  his  fol¬ 
lowers  around  him,  they,  faithful  to  the  last,  im¬ 
plored  him  to  appoint  a  successor;  he  did  so.  The 
next  day  De  Soto  was  no  more.  His  soldiers  mourned 
for  him ;  the  priests  performed  his  funeral  rites ;  with 
sad  hearts  they  wrapped  his  body  in  a  mantle,  and, 
at  the  silent  hour  of  midnight,  sunk  it  beneath  the 
waters  of  the  Mississippi. 


106 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


His  followers  again  wandered  for  awhile,  in  hopes 
of  getting  to  Mexico.  Finally  they  halted  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi ;  erected  a  forge,  struck  the 
fetters  off  their  Indian  captives,  and  made  the  iron 
into  nails  to  build  boats;  killed  their  horses  and 
swine,  and  dried  their  flesh  for  provisions.  When 
the  boats  were  finished  they  launched  them  upon  the 
river,  and  floated  down  its  stream  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

After  the  lapse  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  years, 
the  Mississippi  was  again  visited  by  white  men  of 
another  nation. 


/ 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  REFORMATION  AND  ITS  EFFECTS 

From  this  period  we  find  interwoven  with  the  early 
history  of  our  country  a  class  of  persons  who  were 
not  mere  adventurers,  seekers  after  gold  or  fame — 
but  who  sought  here  a  home,  where  they  might  en¬ 
joy  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  who  held  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  which  we  see  the  result  in  the  institutions 
of  the  United  States,  so  different  in  some  respects 
from  those  of  any  other  nation.  This  difference  did 
not  spring  from  chance,  but  was  the  legitimate  effect 
of  certain  influences.  What  has  made  this  younger 
member  of  the  great  family  of  governments  to  differ 
so  much  from  the  others  ?  What  were  the  principles, 
what  the  influences,  which  produced  such  men  and 
women  as  our  revolutionary  ancestors?  The  world 
has  never  seen  their  equals  for  self-denying  patriot¬ 
ism  ;  for  enlightened  views  of  government,  or  relig¬ 
ious  liberty,  and  of  the  rights  of  conscience. 

When  great  changes  are  to  be  introduced  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  God  orders  the  means  to 
accomplish  them,  as  well  as  the  end  to  be  attained. 
He  trains  the  people  for  the  change.  He  not  only 
prepared  the  way  for  the  discovery  of  this  continent, 
but  for  its  colonization  by  a  Christian  people.  Fifty 
years  before  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus,  the  art 
of  printing  was  invented — and  twenty-five  years 
after  the  same  voyage,  commenced  the  Reformation 
in  Germany  under  Martin  Luther.  The  art  of  print¬ 
ing,  by  multiplying  books,  became  the  means  of  dif¬ 
fusing  knowledge  among  men,  and  of  awakening  the 
human  mind  from  the  sleep  of  ages.  One  of  the 


108 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


consequences  of  this  awakening,  was  the  Reforma¬ 
tion.  The  simple  truths  of  the  Gospel  had  been  ob¬ 
scured  by  the  teachings  of  men.  The  decrees  of  the 
church  had  drawn  a  veil  between  the  throne  of  God 
and  the  human  soul.  The  priesthood  had  denied  to 
the  people  the  right  of  studying  for  themselves  the 
word  of  God.  The  views  of  the  Reformers  were  the 
reverse  of  this.  They  believed  that  God,  as  Lord  of 
the  Conscience,  had  given  a  revelation  of  his  will  to 
man,  and  that  it  was  the  inherent  right  and  privilege 
of  every  human  being  to  study  that  will,  each  one 
for  himself.  They  did  not  stop  here :  they  were  dili¬ 
gent  seekers  for  truth;  the  advocates  of  education 
and  of  free  inquiry.  Throwing  aside  the  traditions 
of  men,  they  went  directly  to  the  Bible,  and  taught 
all  men  to  do  the  same. 

On  the  continent,  the  Reformation  began  among 
the  learned  men  of  the  universities,  and  gradually 
extended  to  the  uneducated  people.  In  England,  the 
common  people  were  reading  the  Bible  in  their  own 
language,  long  before  it  was  the  privilege  of  any  na¬ 
tion  on  the  continent.*  Thus  the  English  were  pre¬ 
pared  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  Reformation 
under  Luther.  Soon  persecutions  of  the  Reformers 
arose ;  with  civil  commotions  and  oppressions  involv¬ 
ing  all  Europe  in  war.  These  troubles  drove  the 
Huguenots  from  France  and  the  Puritan  from  Eng¬ 
land,  to  seek  homes  in  the  wilderness  of  the  New 
World. 

From  the  Bible  they  learned  their  high  and  holy 
principles ;  fiery  trials  taught  them  endurance.  They 
brought  with  them  to  our  shores  the  spirit  of  the 
Reformation,  the  recognition  of  civil  rights  and  relig¬ 
ious  liberty.  These  principles  have  been  transmitted 
to  us  in  our  national  institutions  and  form  of  gov¬ 
ernment. 

*D’Aubigne’s  Hist,  of  the  Reformation,  Vol.  V. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  THE  SOUTH 

Their  Settlement  Destroyed. — The  Colony  of  St.  Augustine. — 
De  Gourges. — Settlements  in  New  France. — Champlain 
and  His  Success. 

While  these  contests  were  going  on  in  Europe  be¬ 
tween  the  friends  of  religious  liberty  and  the  Roman 
Catholics,  Coligny,  high  admiral  of  France,  a  devoted 
Protestant,  conceived  the  idea  of  founding  a  colony 
in  the  New  World,  to  which  his  persecuted  country¬ 
men  might  flee,  and  enjoy  that  which  was  denied 
them  in  their  native  land ;  the  inestimable  privilege 
of  worshipping  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their 
own  conscience,  enlightened  by  his  holy  word. 

The  French  government  took  no  interest  in  the 
matter.  Those  influences  were  then  at  work,  which 
a  few  years  later  produced  their  dire  effect  in  the 
massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  Coligny,  however, 
easily  obtained  a  commission  from  Charles  IX. 
Preparations  were  soon  made,  and  the  expedition 
sailed  under  the  direction  of  John  Ribault,  a  worthy 
man,  and  a  sincere  Protestant. 

They  knew  the  character  of  the  country  and  of  the 
climate  in  the  latitude  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  they 
wished  to  find  a  region  more  fertile  and  a  climate 
more  genial.  They  made  land  in  the  vicinity  of  St. 
Augustine,  Florida;  they  continued  further  north 
along  the  coast,  and  landed  at  Port  Royal  entrance. 
They  were  delighted  with  the  country,  its  fine  cli¬ 
mate,  its  magnificent  forests,  fragrant  with  wild 
flowers;  but  above  all  with  the  capacious  harbor, 


110 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


which  was  capable  of  floating  the  largest  ships. 
Here  it  was  determined  to  make  a  settlement :  a  fort 
was  built  on  an  island  in  the  harbor  ,and  in  honor 
of  their  sovereign  called  Carolina.  Leaving  twenty- 
five  men  to  keep  possession  of  the  country,  Ribault 
departed  for  France,  with  the  intention  of  returning 
the  next  year  with  supplies  and  more  emigrants.  He 
found  France  in  confusion ;  civil  war  was  raging  with 
all  its  attendant  horrors.  In  vain  the  colonists  looked 
for  reinforcements  and  supplies — none  ever  came. 
Disheartened,  they  resolved  to  return  home;  they 
hastily  built  a  brigantine,  and  with  an  insufficiency 
of  provisions,  set  sail.  They  came  near  perishing  at 
sea  by  famine,  but  were  providentially  rescued  by 
an  English  bark.  Part  of  these  colonists  were  taken 
to  France,  and  part  to  England, — there  they  told  of 
the  fine  climate  and  the  rich  soil  of  the  country  they 
had  attempted  to  colonize.  We  shall  yet  see  the 
effect  of  this  information  in  directing  English  enter¬ 
prise. 

Two  years  after,  tnere  was  a  treacherous  lull  in 
the  storm  of  civil  discord  in  France;  Coligny  again 
attempted  to  found  a  colony.  The  care  of  this  expe¬ 
dition  was  intrusted  to  Laudoniere,  a  man  of  up¬ 
rightness  and  intelligence,  who  had  been  on  the  form¬ 
er  voyage.  The  healthfulness  of  the  climate  of  Flor¬ 
ida  was  represented  to  be  wonderful :  it  was  believed 
that,  under  its  genial  influence,  human  life  was  ex¬ 
tended  more  than  one-half,  while  the  stories  of  the 
wealth  of  the  interior  still  found  credence.  Unfor¬ 
tunately  proper  care  was  not  exercised  in  selecting 
the  colonists  from  the  numerous  volunteers  who  of¬ 
fered.  Some  were  chosen  who  were  not  worthy  to  be 
members  of  a  colony  based  on  religious  principles, 
and  founded  for  noble  purposes. 

They  reached  the  coast  of  Florida,  avoided  Port 
Royal,  the  scene  of  former  misery,  and  found  a  suit- 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  THE  SOUTH 


111 


able  location  for  a  settlement  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  May,  now  called  the  St.  Johns.  They  offered 
songs  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  guiding  care, 
and  trusted  to  his  promises  for  the  future.  They 
built  another  fort,  which  like  the  first  they  called 
Carolina.  The  true  character  of  some  of  the  col¬ 
onists  soon  began  to  appear, — these  had  joined  the 
enterprise  with  no  higher  motive  than  gain.  They 
were  mutinous,  idle,  and  dissolute,  wasting  the  pro¬ 
visions  of  the  company.  They  robbed  the  Indians, 
who  became  hostile,  and  refused  to  furnish  the  col¬ 
ony  with  provisions. 

Under  the  pretext  of  avoiding  famine,  these  fel¬ 
lows  of  the  baser  sort  asked  permission  of  Laudo- 
niere  to  go  to  New  Spain.  He  granted  it,  thinking  it 
a  happy  riddance  for  himself  and  the  colony.  They 
embarked,  only  to  become  pirates.  The  Spaniards, 
whom  they  attacked,  took  their  vessel  and  made  most 
of  them  slaves;  the  remainder  escaped  in  a  boat. 
They  knew  of  no  safer  place  than  Fort  Carolina. 
When  they  returned  Laudoniere  had  them  arrested 
for  piracy ;  they  were  tried,  and  the  ringleaders  con¬ 
demned  and  executed; — a  sufficient  evidence  that 
their  conduct  was  detested  by  the  better  portion  of 
the  colonists. 

Famine  now  came  pressing  on.  Month  after 
month  passed  away,  and  still  there  came  no  tidings 
— no  supplies  from  home.  Just  at  this  time  arrived 
Sir  John  Hawkins  from  the  West  Indies,  where  he 
had  disposed  of  a  cargo  of  negroes  as  slaves.  He 
was  the  first  Englishman,  it  is  said,  who  had  engaged 
in  that  unrighteous  traffic.  Though  hard-hearted 
toward  the  wretched  Africans,  he  manifested  much 
sympathy  for  the  famishing  colonists ;  supplied 
them  with  provisions,  and  gave  them  one  of  his 
ships.  They  continued  their  preparations  to  leave 
for  home,  when  suddenly  the  cry  was  raised  tha^; 


112 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ships  were  coming  into  the  harbor.  It  was  Ribault 
returning  with  supplies  and  families  of  emigrants. 
He  was  provided  with  domestic  animals,  seeds  and 
implements  for  cultivating  the  soil.  The  scene  was 
now  changed;  all  were  willing  to  remain,  and  the 
hope  of  founding  a  French  Protestant  State  in  the 
New  World  was  revived. 

Philip  II.,  the  cruel  and  bigoted  King  of  Spain, 
heard  that  the  French — French  Protestants — had 
presumed  to  make  a  settlement  in  Florida !  Immed¬ 
iately  plans  were  laid  to  exterminate  the  heretics. 
The  king  found  a  fit  instrument  for  the  purpose  in 
Pedro  Melendez ;  a  man  familiar  with  scenes  of  car¬ 
nage  and  cruelty,  whose  life  was  stained  with  almost 
every  crime.  The  king  knew  his  desperate  charac¬ 
ter;  gave  him  permission  to  conquer  Florida  at  his 
own  expense,  and  appointed  him  its  governor  for  life, 
with  the  right  to  name  his  successor.  His  colony  was 
to  consist  of  not  less  than  five  hundred  persons,  one 
hundred  of  whom  should  be  married  men.  He  was 
also  to  introduce  the  sugar-cane,  and  five  hundred 
negro  slaves  to  cultivate  it.  The  expedition  was 
soon  under  way.  Melendez  first  saw  the  land  on  the 
day  consecrated  to  St.  Augustine;  some  days  after, 
sailing  along  the  coast,  he  discovered  a  fine  harbor 
and  river,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  that  saint. 
From  the  Indians  he  learned .  where  the  Huguenots 
had  established  themselves.  They  were  much  sur¬ 
prised  at  the  appearance  of  a  fleet,  and  they  inquired 
of  the  stranger  who  he  was  and  why  he  came;  he 
replied,  “I  am  Melendez,  of  Spain,  sent  by  my  sov¬ 
ereign  with  strict  orders  to  behead  and  gibbet  every 
Protestant  in  these  regions;  the  Catholic  shall  be 
spared,  but  every  Protestant  shall  die !”  The  French 
fleet,  unprepared  for  a  conflict,  put  to  sea ;  the  Span¬ 
iards  pursued  but  did  not  overtake  it.  Melendez 
then  returned  to  St.  Augustine.  After  a  religious 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  THE  SOUTH 


113 


festival  in  honor  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  he  proceeded 
to  mark  out  the  boundaries  for  a  town.  St.  Augus¬ 
tine  is,  by  more  than  forty  years,  the  oldest  town  in 
the  United  States. 

His  determination  was  now  to  attack  the  Hugue¬ 
nots  by  land,  and  carry  out  his  cruel  orders.  The 
French,  supposing  the  Spaniards  would  come  by  sea, 
set  sail  to  meet  them.  Melendez  found  the  colonists 
unprepared  and  defenseless;  their  men  were  nearly 
all  on  board  the  fleet.  A  short  contest  ensued ;  the 
French  were  overcome,  and  the  fanatic  Spaniards 
massacred  nearly  the  whole  number, — men,  women 
and  children ;  they  spared  not  even  the  aged  and  the 
sick.  A  few  were  reserved  as  slaves,  and  a  few  es¬ 
caped  to  the  woods.  To  show  to  the  world  upon  what 
principles  he  acted,  Melendez  placed  over  the  dead 
this  inscription : — “I  do  not  this  as  unto  Frenchmen, 
but  as  unto  heretics.”  Mass  was  celebrated,  and  on 
the  ground  still  reeking  with  the  blood  of  the  inno¬ 
cent  victims  of  religious  bigotry  and  fanaticism,  he 
erected  a  cross  and  marked  out  a  site  for  a  church — 
the  first  on  the  soil  of  the  United  States. 

Among  those  who  escaped,  were  Laudoniere  and 
Le  Moyne,  an  artist,  sent  by  Coligny  to  make  draw¬ 
ings  of  the  most  interesting  scenery  of  the  country ; 
and  Challus,  who  afterward  wrote  an  account  of  the 
calamity.  When  they  seemed  about  to  perish  in  the 
forests  from  hunger,  they  questioned  whether  they 
should  appeal  to  the  mercy  of  their  conquerors. 
“No,”  said  Challus,  “let  us  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God 
rather  than  of  these  men.”  After  enduring  many 
hardships,  they  succeeded  in  reaching  two  small 
French  vessels  which  had  remained  in  the  harbor, 
and  thus  escaped  to  France.  A  few  of  their  com¬ 
panions,  who  threw  themselves  upon  the  mercy  of 
the  Spaniards,  were  instantly  murdered. 

While  these  scenes  of  carnage  were  in  progress,  a 


114 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


terrible  storm  wrecked  the  French  fleet ;  some  of  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  were  enabled  to  reach  the  shore, 
but  in  a  destitute  condition.  These  poor  men,  when 
invited,  surrendered  themselves  to  the  promised  clem¬ 
ency  of  Melendez.  They  were  taken  across  the  river 
in  little  companies ;  as  they  landed  their  hands  were 
tied  behind  them,  and  they  were  driven  to  a  con¬ 
venient  place,  where  at  a  given  signal  they  were  all 
murdered.  Altogether  nine  hundred  persons  per¬ 
ished  by  shipwreck  and  violence.  It  is  the  office  of 
history  to  record  the  deeds  of  the  past — the  evil  and 
the  good ;  let  the  one  be  condemned  and  avoided,  the 
other  commended  and  imitated.  May  we  not  hope 
that  the  day  of  fanatic  zeal  and  religious  persecution 
>  has  passed  away  forever? 

The  French  government  was  indifferent,  and  did 
not  avenge  the  wrongs  of  her  loyal  and  good  sub¬ 
jects;  but  the  Huguenots,  and  the  generous  portion 
of  the  nation,  were  roused  to  a  high  state  of  indig¬ 
nation  at  such  wanton,  such  unheard  of  cruelty. 
This  feeling  found  a  representative  in  Dominic  de 
Gourges,  a  native  of  Gascony.  He  fitted  out,  at  his 
own  expense,  three  ships,  and  with  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men  sailed  for  Florida.  He  suddenly  came  upon 
the  Spaniards  and  completely  overpowered  them. 
Near  the  scene  of  their  former  cruelty  he  hanged 
about  two  hundred  on  the  trees ;  placing  over  them 
the  inscription,  “I  do  not  this  as  unto  Spaniards  and 
mariners,  but  as  unto  traitors,  robbers,  and  murder¬ 
ers!”  Gourges  immediately  returned  to  France, 
when  the  “Most  Christian”  king  set  a  price  upon  his 
head ;  and  he  who  had  exposed  his  life,  and  sacrificed 
his  fortune  to  avenge  the  insult  offered  to  his  coun¬ 
try,  was  obliged  to  conceal  himself  to  escape  the  gal¬ 
lows.  Thus  perished  the  attempt  of  the  noble  Col- 
igny  and  the  Huguenots  to  found  a  French  Protes¬ 
tant  State  in  the  New  World. 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  THE  SOUTH 


115 


After  the  unsuccessful  expeditions  of  Cartier  and 
Roberval,  French  fishermen,  in  great  numbers,  con¬ 
tinued  to  visit  the  waters  around  Newfoundland.  As 
the  government  had  relinquished  its  claim  to  Florida, 
the  idea  was  once  more  revived  of  colonizing  on  the 
shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  Marquis  de  la  Roche  obtained  a  commission 
for  this  purpose.  His  colonists,  like  those  of  Rober¬ 
val,  were  criminals  taken  from  the  prisons  of  France : 
like  his,  this  enterprise  proved  an  utter  failure.  The 
efforts  of  some  merchants,  who  obtained  by  patent  a 
monopoly  of  the  fur  trade,  also  failed. 

At  length,  a  company  of  merchants  of  Rouen  en¬ 
gaged  in  the  enterprise  with  more  success.  That  suc¬ 
cess  may  be  safely  attributed  to  Samuel  Champlain, 
a  man  of  comprehensive  mind,  of  great  energy  of 
character,  cautious  in  all  his  plans ;  a  keen  observer 
of  the  habits  of  the  Indians  and  an  unwearied  ex¬ 
plorer  of  the  country. 

In  the  latter  part  of  this  same  year,  a  patent,  ex¬ 
clusive  in  its  character,  was  given  to  a  Protestant, 
the  excellent  and  patriotic  Sieur  De  Monts.  The  pat¬ 
ent  conferred  on  him  the  sovereignty  of  the  country 
called  Acadie — a  territory  extending  from  Philadel¬ 
phia  on  the  south,  to  beyond  Montreal  on  the  north, 
and  to  the  west  indefinitely.  It  granted  him  a  mo¬ 
nopoly  of  the  fur  trade  and  other  branches  of  com¬ 
merce  ;  and  freedom  in  religion  to  the  Huguenots  who 
should  become  colonists.  It  was  enjoined  upon  all 
idlers,  and  men  of  no  profession,  and  banished  per¬ 
sons  to  aid  in  founding  the  colony. 

The  expedition  was  soon  under  way  in  two  ships. 
In  due  time  they  entered  a  spacious  harbor  on  the 
western  part  of  Nova  Scotia,  which  they  named  Port 
Royal,  since  Annapolis.  The  waters  abounded  in  fish, 
and  the  country  was  fertile  and  level — advantages 
that  induced  some  of  the  emigrants  to  form  a  settle- 


116 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ment.  Others  went  to  an  island  at  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Croix,  but  the  next  spring  they  removed  to  Port 
Royal.  This  was  the  first  permanent  French  settle¬ 
ment  in  the  New  World ;  and  these  were  the  ancest¬ 
ors  of  those  unfortunate  Acadiens  whose  fate,  nearly 
a  century  and  a  half  later,  forms  a  melancholy  epi¬ 
sode  in  American  history. 

Among  the  influences  exerted  upon  the  Indians 
was  that  of  the  Jesuits,  who,  a  few  years  afterward, 
were  sent  as  missionaries  to  the  tribes  between  the 
Penobscot  and  the  Kennebec  in  Maine.  These  tribes 
became  the  allies  of  the  French,  and  remained  so 
during  all  their  contests  with  the  English.  De  Monts 
explored  the  coast  and  rivers  of  New  England  as  far 
south  as  Cape  Cod,  intending  somewhere  in  that  re¬ 
gion  to  make  a  settlement;  but  disaster  followed 
disaster,  till  the  project  was  finally  abandoned. 

Meantime,  Champlain,  whose  ambition  was  to  es¬ 
tablish  a  State,  had  founded  Quebec,  that  is,  it  was 
the  center  of  a  few  cultivated  fields  and  gardens. 
Huguenots  were  among  the  settlers ;  they  had  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  enterprise ;  but  there  were  also 
others  who  were  of  the  Catholic  faith.  Soon  religious 
disputes  as  well  as  commercial  jealousies  arose, 
which  retarded  the  progress  of  the  colony.  Cham¬ 
plain,  the  soul  of  the  enterprise,  was  not  idle;  he 
made  many  exploring  expeditions,  and  discovered 
the  beautiful  lake  which  bears  his  name.  In  spite 
of  the  quarrels  between  the  Jesuits  and  the  Hugue¬ 
nots,  and  the  restlessness  of  the  Indians  and  disap¬ 
pointments  of  various  kinds,  the  persevering  Cham¬ 
plain  succeeded  in  establishing  a  French  colony  on 
the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  For  one  hundred 
and  twenty  years  it  remained  under  the  dominion 
of  his  native  France,  and  then  passed  into  the  hands 
of  her  great  rival. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


ENGLISH  ENTERPRISE 

Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert. — The  Fisheries. — St.  Johns,  Newfound¬ 
land. — Sir  Walter  Raleigh. — Exploring  Expedition. — Vir¬ 
ginia;  failure  to  Colonize. — Contest  with  Spain. — Death 
of  Sir  Walter. 

England  never  relinquished  her  claims  to  North 
America;  they  were  based  upon  the  discovery  and 
explorations  of  Sebastian  Cabot.  According  to  the 
received  rules  of  the  times,  she  was  right,  as  he  was 
undoubtedly  the  first  discoverer.  For  many  reasons, 
she  was  not  prepared  to  avail  herself  of  these  claims, 
till  nearly  ninety  years  after  that  discovery.  This 
time  was  not  passed  by  the  English  sailors  in  mari¬ 
time  idleness.  During  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  in¬ 
tercourse  was  kept  up  with  the  fisheries  of  New¬ 
foundland,  that  school  of  English  seamen,  in  which 
were  trained  the  men  who  gave  to  that  nation  the 
supremacy  of  the  ocean — the  element  upon  which  the 
military  glory  of  England  was  to  be  achieved.  The 
king  cherished  his  navy,  and  took  commerce  under 
his  special  protection. 

The  reign  of  Mary,  of  bloody  memory,  saw  the 
struggle  commence  between  England  and  Spain  for 
the  supremacy  of  the  ocean.  She  married  Philip 
II.,  the  most  powerful  monarch  of  the  age:  he  de¬ 
signed  to  subject  the  English  nation  to  himself,  and 
its  religion  to  the  church  of  Rome.  When  this  be¬ 
came  known,  the  Protestant  spirit  rose  in  opposition. 
This  spirit  pervaded  the  entire  people ;  they  exerted 
their  energies  to  the  utmost.  Instead  of  submitting 


118 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


to  the  dictation  of  Spain,  England  boldly  assumed 
the  position  of  an  antagonist.  There  was  a  marked 
contrast  between  the  two  nations.  The  navy  of 
the  one  was  immense,  that  of  the  other  was  small, 
but  brave  and  efficient:  the  one  drew  her  wealth 
from  mines  of  gold  and  silver  in  the  New  World — the 
other  obtained  hers  by  the  slow  process  of  industry 
and  economy.  The  one  became  proud  and  indolent, 
luxurious  and  imbecile — the  other  may  have  become 
proud,  but  certainly  not  indolent ;  luxurious,  but  cer¬ 
tainly  not  imbecile. 

On  her  accession,  Queen  Elizabeth  pursued  the 
policy  of  her  father  Henry  VIII.,  towards  her  navy 
and  commerce.  While  some  of  her  subjects  were 
trading  by  land  with  the  east,  others  were  on  the 
ocean  cruising  against  the  Spaniards:  some  were 
prosecuting  the  fisheries  around  Newfoundland  and 
in  the  seas  northwest  of  Europe ;  some  were  explor¬ 
ing  the  western  coast  of  America,  and  the  eastern 
coast  of  Asia :  others  were  groping  their  way  among 
the  islands  of  the  extreme  north,  in  a  vain  search 
for  the  northwest  passage. 

Explorers  were  still  haunted  with  the  idea  that 
mines  of  exhaustless  wealth  were  yet  to  be  found  in 
the  New  World.  Great  was  the  exultation  when  a 
“mineral  man”  of  London  declared  that  a  stone 
brought  by  an  English  sailor  from  the  Polar  regions, 
contained  gold.  England  was  to  find  in  the  region 
of  eternal  snow  mines  of  the  precious  metal,  more 
prolific  than  Spain  had  found  in  Mexico.  Soon  fif¬ 
teen  vessels  set  sail  for  this  northern  island,  where 
there  was  “ore  enough  to  suffice  all  the  gold-gluttons 
of  the  world.”  They  returned  laden,  not  with  golden 
ore,  but  with  worthless  yellow  stones. 

Meanwhile,  the  fisheries  around  Newfoundland  had 
become  a  certain,  though  a  slow  source  of  wealth. 
Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  a  gentleman  of  distinction 


ENGLISH  ENTERPRISE 


119 


and  of  upright  principles,  obtained  a  commission 
from  the  Queen  to  plant  a  colony  in  the  vicinity  of 
these  fisheries.  He  landed  at  St.  Johns,  Newfound¬ 
land,  and  there  in  the  presence  of  the  fishermen  of 
other  nations,  took  formal  possession  of  the  terri¬ 
tory  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign.  He  then  passed 
further  south,  exploring  the  coast — but  losing  his 
largest  ship  with  all  on  board,  he  found  it  necessary 
to  sail  for  home.  Only  two  vessels  remained,  one  of 
which,  the  Squirrel,  was  a  mere  boat  of  ten  tons, 
used  to  explore  the  shallow  bays  and  inlets.  The 
closing  acts  of  Sir  Humphrey’s  life  afford  proofs  of 
his  piety  and  nobleness  of  character.  Unwilling  that 
the  humblest  of  his  men  should  risk  more  danger 
than  himself,  he  chose  to  sail  in  the  boat  rather  than 
in  the  larger  and  safer  vessel.  A  terrible  storm 
arose ;  he  sat  calmly  reading  a  book — doubtless  that 
book  from  which  he  drew  consolation  in  times  of 
sorrow  and  trial.  To  encourage  those  who  were  in 
the  other  vessel,  he  was  heard  to  cry  to  them,  “we 
are  as  near  to  heaven  on  sea  as  on  land,” — the  reality 
of  this  cheering  thought  he  was  soon  to  experience. 
That  night,  those  on  the  larger  vessel  saw  the  lights 
of  the  little  boat  suddenly  disappear. 

The  next  attempt  at  colonization  was  made  by  Gil¬ 
bert’s  half-brother,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  one  of  the 
noblest  of  that  age  of  noble  spirits :  gallant  and  court¬ 
eous  in  his  manners ;  a  scholar,  a  poet,  a  benefactor 
of  his  race ;  his  name  should  ever  be  held  in  grateful 
remembrance  by  the  people  of  this  country.  He 
studied  the  art  of  war  with  Coligny,  the  high  admiral 
of  France.  When  in  that  country,  he  determined 
to  plant  a  colony  in  those  delightful  regions  from 
which  the  Huguenots  had  been  driven  by  the  hand  of 
violence.  He  had  learned  from  them  of  the  charming 
climate,  where  winter  lingered  only  for  a  short  time, 
— where  the  magnificent  trees  and  fragrant  woods 


120 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


bloomed  during  nearly  all  of  the  year, — where  the 
gushing  fountains,  noble  rivers,  and  fertile  soil  in¬ 
vited  the  industrious  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their 
labor.  When  Sir  Walter  returned  home  from  France, 
he  found  the  people  prepared  to  enter  upon  schemes 
of  colonization  in  the  south.  They,  too,  had  heard  of 
those  “delightful  regions”  from  the  Huguenots,  who 
at  sea  had  been  rescued  from  death,  and  brought  to 
England.  Raleigh  without  difficulty  obtained  a  com¬ 
mission,  granting  him  ample  powers,  as  proprietor  of 
the  territories  he  was  about  to  colonize.  He  first  sent 
an  exploring  expedition,  consisting  of  two  ships, 
under  Philip  Amidas  and  Arthur  Barlow,  to  obtain 
more  definite  information  of  the  country.  They 
sailed  the  usual  route,  by  the  Canaries  and  the  West 
Indies,  came  first  upon  the  coast  of  North  Carolina, 
landed  upon  one  of  the  islands  forming  Ocracock  in¬ 
let,  and  took  formal  possession  of  the  country.  They 
partially  explored  Albemarle  and  Pamlico  sounds, 
and  the  islands  and  coast  in  the  vicinity,  and  then 
sailed  for  home.  They  took  with  them  two  of  the 
natives,  Wanchese  and  Manteo;  the  latter  was  aft¬ 
erward  very  useful  to  the  colonists  as  an  interpreter. 
Amidas  and  Barlow  on  their  return,  confirmed  what 
the  Huguenots  had  reported  of  the  excellence  of  the 
country.  They  saw  it  in  the  month  of  July.  They 
described  the  unruffled  ocean,  dotted  with  beautiful 
islands ;  the  clearness  of  the  atmosphere ;  the  luxur¬ 
iant  forests  vocal  with  the  songs  of  birds ;  the  vines 
draping  the  trees,  and  the  grapes  hanging  in  clusters. 
This  sunny  land,  in  all  its  virgin  beauty,  appeared  to 
these  natives  of  foggy  England,  as  the  very  paradise 
of  the  world.  Elizabeth,  delighted  with  the  descrip¬ 
tion,  named  the  country  Virginia,  in  honor  of  herselt, 
as  she  took  pride  in  being  known  as  the  Virgin 
Queen. 

It  was  not  difficult  now  to  obtain  colonists ;  soon  a 


ENGLISH  ENTERPRISE 


121 


fleet  of  seven  vessels  was  equipped,  containing  one 
hundred  and  eight  persons,  who  intended  to  form  a 
settlement.  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  a  friend  of  Ral¬ 
eigh,  and  a  man  of  eminence,  commanded  the  fleet, 
and  Ralph  Lane  was  appointed  governor  of  the  col¬ 
ony.  After  a  tedious  voyage,  they  landed,  in  June, 
fifteen  hundred  and  eighty-five,  on  an  island  called 
Roanoke,  lying  between  Albemarle  and  Pamlico 
sounds.  Before  long  they  excited  the  enmity  of  the 
Indians.  On  one  of  their  exploring  expeditions,  a 
silver  cup  was  lost  or  stolen.  The  Indians  were 
charged  with  the  theft ;  perhaps  they  were  innocent. 
Because  it  was  not  restored,  Grenville,  with  very  lit¬ 
tle  prudence  and  less  justice,  set  fire  to  their  village 
and  destroyed  their  standing  corn.  Little  did  he 
know  the  train  of  sorrow  and  death  he  introduced  by 
thus  harshly  treating  the  Indians  and  making  them 
enemies.  A  few  weeks  after  the  fleet  sailed  for  Eng¬ 
land,  unlawfully  cruising  against  the  Spanish  on  the 
voyage.  Governor  Lane  now  explored  the  country, 
noticed  the  various  productions  of  the  soil,  and  the 
general  character  of  the  inhabitants.  The  colonists 
-  found  many  strange  plants, — the  corn,  the  sweet  po¬ 
tato,  the  tobacco  plant,  were  seen  by  them  for  the 
first  time.  Lane  was  unfit  for  his  station ;  he  became 
unreasonably  suspicious  of  the  Indians.  With  pro¬ 
fessions  of  friendship  he  visited  a  prominent  chief, 
and  was  hospitably  received  and  entertained;  this 
kindness  he  repaid  by  basely  murdering  the  chief  and 
his  followers.  Men  capable  of  such  treachery  were 
necessarily  unfit  to  found  a  Christian  State.  Pro¬ 
visions  now  began  to  fail  and  the  colonists  to  de¬ 
spond. 

Just  at  this  time,  Sir  Francis  Drake,  on  his  way 
home  from  the  West  Indies,  called  to  visit  the  colony 
of  his  friend  Raleigh.  Though  they  had  been  but 
a  year  in  the  country,  the  colonists  begged  him  to 


122 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


take  them  home.  Drake  granted  their  request. 
They  were  scarecely  out  of  sight  of  land,  when  a 
ship,  sent  by  Raleigh,  laden  with  supplies,  arrived. 
The  colonists  could  not  be  found,  and  the  ship  re¬ 
turned  to  England.  In  a  fortnight  Grenville  ap¬ 
peared  with  three  ships ;  not  finding  the  colonists  he 
also  returned  home,  unwisely  leaving  fifteen  men  to 
keep  possession  of  the  territory. 

Though  disappointed,  Raleigh  did  not  despair. 
The  natural  advantages  of  the  country  had  failed  to 
•  induce  the  first  company  to  remain.  It  was  hoped, 
that  if  surrounded  by  social  and  domestic  ties,  future 
colonists  would  learn  to  look  upon  it  as  their  true 
home.  Sir  Walter’s  second  company  was  composed 
of  emigrants  with  their  families,  who  should  culti¬ 
vate  the  soil,  and  eventually  found  a  State  for  them¬ 
selves  and  their  posterity.  Queen  Elizabeth  pro¬ 
fessed  to  favor  the  enterprise,  but  did  nothing  to 
aid  it.  The  expedition  was  fitted  out  with  all  that 
was  necessary  to  form  an  agricultural  settlement. 
Raleigh  appointed  John  White  governor,  with  direc¬ 
tions  to  form  the  settlement  on  the  shores  of  Chesa¬ 
peake  bay. 

They  came  first  to  the  island  of  Roanoke,  there  to 
behold  a  melancholy  spectacle — the  bleaching  bones 
of  the  men  whom  Grenville  had  left.  All  had  become 
a  desert.  Doubtless  they  had  been  murdered  by  the 
Indians.  Fernando,  the  naval  officer  in  command  of 
the  fleet,  refused  to  assist  in  exploring  the  shores  of 
the  Chesapeake,  and  the  colonists  were  compelled 
to  remain  on  the  Island  of  Roanoke.  The  scene  of 
two  failures  was  to  be  the  witness  of  a  third.  The 
Indians  were  evidently  hostile.  The  colonists  be¬ 
coming  alarmed,  urged  the  governor  to  hasten  to 
England  and  speedily  bring  them  assistance.  Previ¬ 
ous  to  his  leaving,  Mrs.  Dare,  his  daughter,  and  wife 
of  one  of  his  lieutenants,  gave  birth  to  a  female  child, 


ENGLISH  ENTERPRISE 


123 


— the  first  child  of  English  parentage  born  on  the  soil 
of  the  United  States;  it  was  appropriately  named 
Virginia. 

White  on  his  return  found  England  in  a  state  of 
great  excitement.  The  Pope  had  excommunicated 
Queen  Elizabeth,  and  had  absolved  her  subjects  from 
their  allegiance  to  her  throne;  at  the  same  time 
promising  her  kingdom  to  any  Catholic  prince  who 
should  take  possession  of  it.  The  revengeful  Philip, 
of  Spain,  that  good  son  of  the  Church,  had  been  for 
three  years  preparing  an  immense  army  and  fleet, 
with  which  he  intended  to  invade  and  conquer  Eng¬ 
land.  The  fleet  was  boastfully  named  the  Invincible 
Armada.  The  English  naval  commanders  flocked 
home  from  every  part  of  the  world  to  defend  their 
native  land,  and  to  battle  for  the  Protestant  religion. 
English  seamanship  and  bravery  completely  tri¬ 
umphed.  From  that  hour  the  prestige  of  Spain  on 
the  ocean  was  gone — it  passed  to  England.  It  is  not 
strange  that  in  such  exciting  times  the  poor  colonists 
of  Roanoke  were  overlooked  or  forgotten.  As  soon 
as  the  danger  was  passed,  aid  was  sent ;  but  it  came 
too  late :  not  a  vestige  of  the  colony  was  to  be  found ; 
death  had  done  its  work,  whether  by  the  hand  of  the 
savage,  or  by  disease,  none  can  tell.  What  may  have 
been  their  sufferings  is  veiled  in  darkness.  Eighty 
years  after,  the  English  were  told  by  the  Indians 
that  the  Hatteras  tribe  had  adopted  the  colonists 
into  their  number.  The  probability  is  that  they  were 
taken  prisoners  and  carried  far  into  the  interior.  A 
few  years  before  Sir  Francis  Drake  had  broken  up 
the  Spanish  settlement  at  St.  Augustine.  Thus,  one 
hundred  years  after  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus, 
the  continent  was  once  more  in  the  possession  of  the 
Red  Men. 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh  had  now  expended  nearly  all 
his  fortune;  yet,  when  he  saw  no  prospect  of  ever 


I 


124  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

deriving  benefit  from  his  endeavors,  he  sent  several 
times,  at  his  own  expense,  to  seek  for  the  lost  col¬ 
onists  and  to  render  them  aid.  Sir  Walter's  genius 
and  perseverance  prepared  the  way  for  the  success¬ 
ful  settlement  of  Virginia;  he  had  sown  the  seed, 
others  enjoyed  the  harvest.  The  remainder  of  his 
life  was  clouded  by  misfortune.  On  the  accession 
of  James  I.,  he  was  arraigned  on  a  frivolous  charge 
of  high  treason;  a  charge  got  up  by  his  enemies, 
never  substantiated,  and  never  believed  by  those  who 
condemned  him.  On  his  trial  he  defended  himself 
with  a  dignity  and  consciousness  of  innocence  that 
excited  the  admiration  of  the  world  and  put  to  shame 
his  enemies.  His  remaining  property  was  taken 
from  him  by  the  king,  and  for  thirteen  years  he  was 
left  to  languish  in  the  Tower  of  London ;  James  not 
yet  daring  to  order  the  execution  of  the  patriot 
statesman,  who  was  an  ornament  to  England  and  the 
age  in  which  he  lived.  After  the  lapse  of  sixteen 
years  the  hour  came,  and  Sir  Walter  met  death  on 
the  scaffold  with  the  calmness  and  dignity  of  an  in¬ 
nocent  and  Christian  man. 


/ 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA 

London  and  Plymouth  Companies. — King  James’  Laws. — The 
Voyage  and  Arrival.— Jamestown. — John  Smith;  his 
Character,  Energy,  Captivity  and  Release. — Misery  of 
the  Colonists. — New  Emigrants. — Lord  Delaware. — Sir 
Thomas  Gates. — Pocahontas;  Her  Capture  and  Marriage. 
— Yeardley. — First  Legislative  Assembly. 

The  bold  and  energetic  Elizabeth  was  succeeded  by 
the  timid  and  pedantic  James  I.  To  sustain  herself 
against  the  power  of  Spain,  she  had  raised  a  strong 
military  force,  both  on  sea  and  land.  But  James  had 
an  instinctive  dread  of  gunpowder,  he  was  in  favor 
of  peace  at  all  hazards,  even  at  the  expense  of  na¬ 
tional  honor.  He  disbanded  the  greater  portion  of 
the  army,  and  dismissed  many  of  those  employed  in 
the  navy.  These  men,  left  without  regular  employ¬ 
ment,  were  easily  induced  to  try  their  fortunes  as 
colonists  in  Virginia.  They  were  not  good  material, 
as  we  shall  see,  but  they  prepared  the  way  for  better 
men,  and  ultimately  for  success.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
having  sacrificed  his  fortune  in  fruitless  attempts  to 
found  a  colony,  had  induced  some  gentlemen  to  form 
a  company,  and  engage  in  the  enterprise.  To  this 
company  he  had  transfered  his  patent,  with  all  its 
privileges,  on  very  liberal  terms.  The  company  man¬ 
ifested  but  little  energy:  they  had  neither  the  en¬ 
thusiasm  nor  the  liberality  of  Sir  Walter. 

England  claimed  the  territory  from  Cape  Fear,  in 
North  Carolina,  to  Newfoundland,  and  to  the  West 
indefinitely.  This  territory  King  James  divided  into 
two  parts :  South  Virginia,  extending  from  Cape  Fear 


126 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


to  the  Potomac ;  and  North  Virginia,  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Hudson  to  Newfoundland.  There  were  now 
formed  two  companies:  one  known  as  the  London 
Company,  principally  composed  of  “noblemen,  gent¬ 
lemen,  and  merchants,”  residing  in  London;  the 
other  the  Plymouth  Company,  composed  of  “knights, 
gentlemen,  and  merchants,”  living  in  the  West  of 
England.  To  the  London  Company  James  granted 
South  Virginia,  to  the  Plymouth  Company  North 
Virginia.  The  region  between  the  Potomac  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Hudson  was  to  be  neutral  ground,  on 
which  the  companies  were  at  liberty  to  form  settle¬ 
ments  within  fifty  miles  of  their  respective  bound¬ 
aries.  The  London  Company  was  the  first  to  send 
emigrants. 

King  James  was  enamored  of  what  he  called  king¬ 
craft.  He  believed  that  a  king  had  a  divine  right  to 
make  and  unmake  laws  at  his  own  pleasure,  and  was 
bound  by  no  obligation, — not  even  to  keep  his  own 
word.  In  maintaining  the  former  of  these  kingly 
rights,  James  sometimes  found  difficulty;  he  was 
more  successful  in  exercising  the  latter.  He  took 
upon  himself  the  authority  and  labor  of  framing 
laws  for  the  colony  about  to  sail.  These  laws  are  a 
fair  specimen  of  his  kingcraft.  They  did  not  grant 
a  single  civil  privilege  to  the  colonists,  who  had  no 
vote  in  choosing  their  own  magistrates,  but  were  to 
be  governed  by  two  councils,  both  appointed  by  the 
king, — one  residing  in  England,  the  other  in  the  col¬ 
ony.  In  religious  matters,  differences  of  opinion 
were  forbidden ;  all  must  conform  to  the  rites  of  the 
church  of  England.  The  Indians  were  to  be  treated 
kindly,  and  if  possible,  converted  to  Christianity. 

Three  ships  were  sent  with  one  hundred  and  five 
emigrants;  of  the  whole  number,  not  twenty  were 
agriculturists  or  mechanics, — there  was  not  a  family 
nor  a  woman  in  the  company.  The  great  majority 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA 


127 


were  gentlemen,  a  term  then  applied  to  those  who 
had  no  regular  employment,  but  spent  their  time  in 
idleness  and  dissipation. 

The  names  of  those  who  were  to  form  the  govern¬ 
ing  council,  together  with  their  instructions,  were, 
by  order  of  the  king,  foolishly  sealed  up  in  a  box, 
there  to  remain  until  they  were  ready  to  form  a 
government.  Thus  when  dissentions  arose  on  the 
voyage,  there  was  no  legal  authority  to  restore  har¬ 
mony. 

Captain  Newport,  who  commanded  the  expedition, 
came  first  upon  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  intend¬ 
ing  to  visit  the  island  of  Roanoke,  the  scene  of  Ral¬ 
eigh's  failures,  but  a  storm  suddenly  arose,  and  for¬ 
tunately  drove  him  north  into  Cheasapeake  bay.  The 
little  fleet  soon  entered  a  large  river,  and  explored 
its  stream  for  fifty  miles — then  on  the  thirteenth  of 
May,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  seven,  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  colony  landed,  and  determined  to  form  a 
settlement.  The  river  was  named  James,  and  the 
settlement  Jamestown,  in  honor  of  the  king;  while 
the  capes  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  were  named 
Charles  and  Henry,  in  honor  of  his  sons. 

In  every  successful  enterprise,  we  observe  the 
power  of  some  one  leading  spirit.  In  this  case,  the 
man  worthy  the  confidence  of  all,  because  of  his 
knowledge,  and  natural  superiority  of  mind,  was 
Captain  John  Smith,  justly  styled  the  “Father  of 
Virginia.”  Though  but  thirty  years  of  age,  he  had 
acquired  much  knowledge  of  the  world.  He  had 
travelled  over  the  western  part  of  Europe,  and  in 
Egypt ;  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  cause  of  freedom  is: 
Holland ;  had  fought  against  the  Turks  in  Hungary, 
where  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and  sent  to  Constanti¬ 
nople  as  a  slave.  He  was  rescued  from  slavery  by  a 
Turkish  lady,  conveyed  to  the  Crimea,  where  he  was 
ill-treated,  his  proud  spirit  resisted,  he  slew  his  op- 


128 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


pressor  and  escaped,  wandered  across  the  continent, 
and  returned  to  England  just  as  plans  were  maturing 
to  colonize  Virginia.  He  entered  into  the  enterprise 
with  his  habitual  energy.  His  cool  courage,  his 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  civilized  and  savage, — 
but  above  all,  his  honesty  and  common  sense,  fitted 
him  for  the  undertaking. 

The  superiority  of  Smith  excited  the  envy  and 
jealousy  of  those  who  expected  to  be  named  members 
of  the  council,  when  the  mysterious  box  should  be 
opened.  On  false  and  absurd  charges  he  was  ar¬ 
rested  and  placed  in  confinement.  The  box  was 
opened — the  king  had  appointed  him  one  of  the  coun¬ 
cil.  An  effort  was  made  to  exclude  him,  but  he  de¬ 
manded  a  trial ;  his  accusers,  unable  to  substantiate 
their  charges,  withdrew  them,  and  he  took  his  seat. 
Wingfield,  an  avaricious  and  unprincipled  man,  was 
chosen  president  of  the  council  and  governor  of  the 
colony. 

When  these  difficulties  were  arranged,  Newport 
and  Smith,  accompanied  by  some  twenty  men,  spent 
three  weeks  in  exploring  the  neighboring  rivers  and 
country.  They  visited  Powhatan,  the  principal  In¬ 
dian  chief  in  the  vicinity — “  a  man  about  sixty  years 
of  age,  tall,  sour,  and  athletic.”  His  capital  of  twelve 
wigwams,  was  situated  at  the  falls  of  James  river, 
near  where  Richmond  now  stands.  His  tribe  seems 
to  have  been  fearful  and  suspicious  of  the  intruding 
white  men  from  the  very  first — impressed,  it  may 
be,  with  a  foreboding  of  evil  to  come. 

Soon  after,  Newport  sailed  for  home,  leaving  the 
colonists  in  a  wretched  condition.  Their  provisions 
nearly  all  spoiled,  and  they  too  idle  to  provide  against 
the  effects  of  the  climate — much  sickness  prevailed, 
and  more  than  half  the  company  died  before  winter. 
To  add  to  their  distress,  it  was  discovered  that  Wing¬ 
field  had  been  living  upon  their  choicest  stores,  and 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA 


129 


that  he  intended  to  seize  the  remainder  of  their  pro¬ 
visions,  and  escape  to  the  West  Indies.  The  council 
deposed  him,  and  elected  Ratcliffe  president.  The 
change  was  not  for  the  better;  he  was  not  more 
honest  than  Wingfield,  and  mentally  less  fit  for  the 
station.  In  this  emergency  the  control  of  affairs 
passed  by  tacit  consent  into  the  hands  of  Smith.  He 
knew  from  the  first  what  was  needed  for  the  colony. 
As  it  was  now  too  late  in  the  season  to  obtain  food 
of  their  own  raising,  he  had  recourse  to  trading  with 
the  Indians  for  corn.  Toward  the  close  of  autumn, 
an  abundance  of  wild  fowl  furnished  additional  pro¬ 
visions.  The  colony  thus  provided  for,  Smith  fur¬ 
ther  explored  the  neighboring  rivers  and  country. 
In  one  of  these  expeditions  he  ascended  a  branch  of 
the  James  river,  and  leaving  the  boat  in  care  of  his 
men,  took  with  him  his  Indian  guide,  and  struck  out 
into  the  forest.  Finding  himself  pursued  by  the  In¬ 
dians,  he  fastened  his  guide  to  his  arm  as  a  shield 
against  their  arrows,  and  defended  himself  with 
great  bravery,  but  at  length  sinking  in  a  swamp,  he 
was  taken  prisoner.  His  captors  regarded  him  with 
strange  wonder ;  his  cool  courage  and  self-possession 
struck  them  with  awe.  He,  aware  of  the  simplicity 
and  inquisitiveness  of  the  savage  character,  showed 
them  his  pocket  compass.  They  wondered  at  the 
motion  of  the  needle,  and  at  the  strange  transparent 
cover,  which  secured  it  from  their  touch.  Was  their 
captive  a  superior  being  ? — was  he  friendly  to  them¬ 
selves? — how  should  they  dispose  of  him? — were 
questions  that  now  perplexed  them.  They  permitted 
him  to  send  a  letter  to  Jamestown.  The  fact  that 
he  could  impress  his  thoughts  upon  paper,  and  send 
them  far  away,  they  regarded  as  strong  proof  of  his 
superiority.  He  was  led  from  place  to  place,  to  be 
gazed  at  by  the  wondering  natives  of  the  forest. 
For  three  days  they  performed  powwows,  or  religious 


130 


HISTORY  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ceremonies,  in  order  to  learn  from  the  spirit  world 
something  of  his  nature  and  intentions.  Finally,  he 
was  sent  to  Powhatan,  to  be  disposed  of  as  he  should 
decide.  The  Indian  chief  received  him  with  a  great 
display  of  savage  pomp,  but  decided  that  he  must  die. 
Preparations  were  made,  but  the  eventful  life  of 
Smith  was  not  destined  to  be  closed  by  the  war-club 
of  the  savages.  The  heart  of  Pocahontas,  a  young 
daughter  of  Powhatan,  a  girl  of  ten  or  twelve  years 
of  age,  was  touched  with  sympathy  and  pity.  She 
pleaded  with  her  father  for  his  life.  She  clung  tend¬ 
erly  to  him  as  he  bowed  his  head  to  receive  the  fatal 
stroke.  Her  interposition  was  received  by  the  sav¬ 
ages  as  an  indication  of  the  will  of  heaven,  and  the 
life  of  Smith  was  spared.  Her  people  have  passed 
away — most  of  their  names  are  forgotten,  but  the 
name  of  Pocahontas,  and  the  story  of  her  generous 
deed,  will  ever  be  honored  and  remembered. 

The  Indians  now  wished  to  adopt  Smith  into  their 
number;  they  strove  to  induce  him  to  join  them 
against  the  English.  He  dissuaded  them  from  an 
attack  upon  Jamestown,  by  representing  to  them  the 
wonderful  effects  of  the  “big  guns.”  After  an  ab¬ 
sence  of  seven  weeks,  he  was  permitted  to  return. 
He  had  obtained  much  valuable  information  of  the 
country,  of  its  inhabitants,  their  language  and  cus¬ 
toms. 

He  found  the  colony  reduced  in  number  to  forty — 
in  want  of  provisions,  and  in  anarchy  and  confusion, 
while  some  were  making  preparations  to  desert  in 
the  pinnace ;  this  he  prevented  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 
The  famishing  colonists  were  partly  sustained 
through  the  winter  by  the  generous  Pocahontas,  who 
with  her  companions  almost  every  day  brought  them 
baskets  of  corn. 

In  the  spring,  Newport  returned  with  another  com¬ 
pany  of  emigrants;  like  the  first,  “vagabond  gentle- 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA 


131 


men,”  idlers  and  gold-hunters.  These  gold-hunters 
lighted  upon  some  earth,  glittering  with  yellow  mica ; 
they  thought  it  golden  ore.  Every  thing  else  was 
neglected;  the  entire  company  engaged  in  loading 
the  ships  with  this  useless  earth.  What  a  blessing 
to  England  and  the  colony  that  it  was  not  gold ! 

While  the  people  of  Jamestown  were  thus  foolishly 
employed,  Smith  explored  the  harbors  and  rivers  of 
Chesapeake  bay,  and  established  friendly  relations 
with  the  Indians  along  its  shores.  From  them  he 
learned  of  the  Mohawks,  who  “made  war  upon  all 
the  world.”  On  his  return,  he  was,  for  the  first  time, 
formally  elected  President  of  the  Council.  Industry 
was  now  more  wisely  directed;  but  in  the  autumn 
came  another  company  of  idle  and  useless  emigrants. 
Smith,  indignant  that  his  efforts  to  improve  the 
colony  should  thus  be  frustrated,  wrote  to  the  coun¬ 
cil  to  send  him  but  a  few  husbandmen  and  mechanics, 
and  “diggers  up  of  trees’  roots,”  rather  than  a  thou¬ 
sand  such  men  as  had  been  sent.  The  complaint  was 
just.  During  two  years  they  had  not  brought  under 
cultivation  more  than  forty  acres  of  land,  while  the 
number  of  able-bodied  men  was  more  than  two  hun¬ 
dred.  The  energetic  arm  of  Smith  was  soon  felt. 
The  first  law  he  made  and  enforced  was,  that  “He 
who  would  not  work  should  not  eat ;”  the  second,  that 
“Each  man  for  six  days  in  the  week  should  work  six 
hours  each  day.” 

In  England,  about  this  time,  an  unusual  interest 
was  manifested  in  the  colony;  subscriptions  were 
made  to  its  stock,  and  the  charter  materially 
changed.  The  council  was  now  chosen  by  the  stock¬ 
holders  of  the  company,  instead  of  being  appointed 
by  the  king.  This  council  appointed  the  governor, 
but  he  could  rule  with  absolute  authority.  Not  a 
single  privilege  was  yet  granted  the  colonists:  his 
property,  his  liberty,  his  life  were  at  the  dispostal  of 


132 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


the  governor ;  and  he  the  agent  of  a  soulless  corpora¬ 
tion,  whose  only  object  was  gain.  The  company  had 
expended  money,  but  the  course  they  themselves 
pursued  prevented  their  receiving  a  return.  Instead 
of  sending  the  industrious  and  virtuous,  they  sent 
idlers  and  libertines ;  instead  of  farmers  and  mechan¬ 
ics,  they  sent  gold-seekers  and  bankrupt  gentlemen. 
Instead  of  offering  a  reward  to  industry  they  gave  a 
premium  to  idleness,  by  making  the  proceeds  of  their 
labor  go  into  a  common  stock. 

The  new  charter  excited  so  great  an  interest  in  the 
cause,  that  a  fleet  of  nine  ships  was  soon  under  way, 
containing  more  than  five  hundred  emigrants,  and, 
for  the  first  time,  domestic  animals  and  fowls.  Lord 
Delaware,  a  nobleman  of  excellent  character,  was  ap¬ 
pointed  governor  for  life.  As  he  was  not  prepared 
to  come  with  this  company,  he  nominated  Sir  Thomas 
Gates,  Sir  George  Somers,  and  Newport,  to  act  as 
his  commissioners  until  his  own  arrival.  Seven  of 
the  vessels  came  safely,  but  the  ship  on  which  the 
commissioners  embarked,  with  another,  was  wrecked 
on  one  of  the  Bermuda  islands. 

This  company  of  emigrants  appears  to  have  been 
worse  than  any  before.  As  the  commissioners  had 
failed  to  reach  the  colony,  these  worthies  refused  to 
submit  to  the  authority  of  Smith,  the  acting  Presi¬ 
dent,  contending  that  there  was  no  legal  government. 
But  these  men,  who  “would  rule  all  or  ruin  all,” 
found  in  him  a  determined  foe  to  disorder  and  idle¬ 
ness  ;  he  compelled  them  to  submit.  Unfortunately, 
just  at  this  time,  he  was  injured  by  an  accidental  ex¬ 
plosion  of  gunpowder,  and  obliged  to  return  to  Eng¬ 
land  for  surgical  aid.  He  delegated  his  authority  to 
George  Percy,  a  brother  of  the  Duke  of  Northum¬ 
berland.  And  now  the  man  who  had  more  than  once 
saved  the  colony  from  utter  ruin,  bade  farewell  tc 
Virginia  forever;  from  his  arduous  labors  he  derived 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA 


133 


no  benefit,  but  experienced  at  the  hands  of  the  com¬ 
pany  the  basest  ingratitude. 

During  the  administration  of  Smith  the  Indians 
were  held  in  check ;  he  inspired  them  with  confidence 
and  respect.  When  the  colonists  “beat  them,  stole 
their  corn,  and  robbed  their  gardens,”  they  com¬ 
plained  to  him,  and  he  protected  their  rights.  After 
his  departure,  they  formed  a  plan  to  cut  off  the  white 
men  at  a  single  blow ;  but  Pocahontas,  the  good  gen¬ 
ius  of  the  English,  came  at  night,  in  a  driving  storm, 
to  Jamestown,  revealed  the  plot,  and  saved  the  col¬ 
ony. 

What  the  Indians  failed  to  do,  vice  and  famine 
nearly  accomplished.  In  six  months  after  the  depar¬ 
ture  of  Smith,  of  the  four  hundred  and  ninety  col¬ 
onists  only  sixty  were  living,  and  they  would  have 
perished  in  a  few  days  had  they  not  obtained  relief. 
Sir  Thomas  Gates,  and  those  who  were  wrecked  with 
him,  found  means  to  build  a  small  vessel,  in  which, 
at  this  crisis,  they  reached  James  river.  They  were 
astonished  at  the  desolation.  They  all  determined 
to  abandon  the  place  and  sail  to  Newfoundland,  and 
there  distribute  themselves  among  the  fishermen. 
They  dropped  down  the  river  with  the  tide,  leaving 
the  place  without  a  regret.  What  was  their  sur¬ 
prise  the  next  morning  to  meet  Lord  Delaware  com¬ 
ing  in  with  more  emigrants  and  abundance  of  sup¬ 
plies.  They  returned  with  a  favoring  wind  to  James¬ 
town  the  same  night. 

From  this  tenth  day  of  June,  one  thousand  six 
hundred  and  eleven,  the  colony  began,  under  more 
favorable  circumstances,  to  revive.  Other  influences 
moulded  their  characters.  They  acknowledged  God 
in  all  their  ways,  and  their  paths  were  directed  by 
His  providential  care.  Under  the  just  administra¬ 
tion  of  the  excellent  Delaware,  factions  were  un¬ 
known;  each  one  was  disposed  to  do  his  duty.  Be- 


134 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


fore  they  commenced  the  labors  of  the  day,  they  met 
in  their  little  church  to  implore  the  blessing  of  heav¬ 
en.  The  effects  were  soon  visible  in  the  order  and 
comfort  of  the  community.  They  cheered  their 
friends  in  England:  “Doubt  not,”  said  they,  “God 
will  raise  our  state  and  build  his  Church  in  this  ex¬ 
cellent  clime.”  In  about  a  year,  failing  health  com¬ 
pelled  Lord  Delaware  to  return  to  England.  He  left 
Percy,  Smith's  successor,  as  his  representative. 

The  next  year  Sir  Thomas  Gates  arrived,  with  six 
ships  and  three  hundred  emigrants;  a  majority  of 
whom  were  of  a  better  class,  temperate  and  indus¬ 
trious  in  their  habits.  A  measure  was  now  intro¬ 
duced  which  produced  the  greatest  effect  on  the  well¬ 
being  of  the  colony :  to  each  man  was  given  a  portion 
of  land,  which  he  was  to  cultivate  for  himself.  The 
good  results  of  this  was  soon  seen  in  the  abundance 
of  provisions.  The  colony  became  so  prosperous  that 
some  of  the  neighboring  tribes  of  Indians  wished  to 
be  “called  Englishmen,”  and  to  be  subjects  of  King 
James.  Some  of  the  colonists,  however,  manifested 
neither  gratitude  nor  justice  toward  the  natives.  A 
neighboring  chief  was  won  by  the  gift  of  a  copper 
kettle  to  betray  into  the  hands  of  Captain  Argali, 
Pocahontas,  that  faithful  friend  of  the  colony.  Ar¬ 
gali  had  the  meanness  to  demand  of  her  father  a 
ransom.  For  three  months  the  indignant  Powhatan 
did  not  deign  to  reply.  Meantime  Pocahontas  re¬ 
ceived  religious  instructions:  her  susceptible  heart 
was  moved,  she  became  a  Christian  and  was  bap¬ 
tized  ;  she  was  the  first  of  her  race  “who  openly  re¬ 
nounced  her  country's  idolatry.”  John  Rolfe,  a  pious 
young  man,  of  “honest  and  discreet  carriage,”  be¬ 
came  interested  in  the  youthful  princess;  he  won 
her  affections  and  asked  her  in  marriage.  Powhatan 
was  delighted.  This  marriage  conciliated  him  and 
his  tribe,  and  indeed  gave  general  satisfaction,  except 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA 


135 


to  King  James,  who  was  greatly  scandalized  that  any 
man,  but  one  of  royal  blood,  should  presume  to  marry 
a  princess.  Rolfe  took  his  wife  to  England,  where 
she  was  much  caressed.  She  never  again  saw  her 
native  land.  Just  as  she  was  leaving  England  for 
Virginia  she  died,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two. 
She  left  one  son,  whose  posterity  count  it  an  honor  to 
have  descended  from  this  noble  Indian  girl. 

Sir  Thomas  Dale  introduced  laws,  by  which  private 
individuals  could  become  proprietors  of  the  soil.  The 
landholders  directed  their  attention  almost  exclusive¬ 
ly  to  the  raising  of  tobacco,  which  became  so  profit¬ 
able  an  article  of  export,  that  it  was  used  as  the 
currency  of  the  colony.  At  one  time,  the  public 
squares  and  streets  of  Jamestown  were  planted  with 
tobacco,  and  the  raising  of  corn  so  much  neglected 
that  there  was  danger  of  a  famine. 

After  a  rule  of  two  years,  Dale  resigned  and  re¬ 
turned  to  England,  leaving  George  Yeardley  as  dep¬ 
uty-governor.  During  his  administration,  industry 
and  prosperity  continued  to  increase.  Under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  a  faction,  Yeardley  was  superseded  by  the 
tyrannical  Argali,  but  in  two  years  his  vices  and 
extortion,  in  connection  with  frauds  upon  the  com¬ 
pany,  procured  his  dismissal,  and  the  people  once 
more  breathed  freely  under  the  second  administra¬ 
tion  of  the  benevolent  and  popular  Yeardley. 

Although  the  colony  had  been  in  existence  twelve 
years,  it  contained  not  more  than  six  hundred  per¬ 
sons,  and  they  appeared  to  have  no  settled  intention 
of  making  the  country  their  permanent  home.  Ef¬ 
forts  were  still  made  to  send  emigrants,  twelve  hun¬ 
dred  of  whom  came  in  one  year,  and  every  means 
were  used  to  attach  them  to  the  soil.  At  different 
times  the  company  sent  over  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  respectable  young  women,  who  became 
wives  in  the  colony,  their  husbands  paying  the  ex- 


136 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


pense  of  their  passage.  This  was  paid  in  tobacco,  the 
cost  of  each  passage  varying  from  one  hundred  and 
twenty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  It  was 
deemed  dishonorable  not  to  pay  a  debt  contracted 
for  a  wife ;  and  to  aid  the  husbands,  the  government, 
in  giving  employment,  preferred  married  men.  Thus 
surrounded  by  the  endearments  of  home  and  domes¬ 
tic  ties,  the  colonists  were  willing  to  remain  in  the 
New  World. 

Governor  Yeardley  was  “commissioned  by  the 
company”  to  grant  the  people  the  right  to  assist  in 
making  their  own  laws,  for  which  purpose  they 
could  hold  an  Assembly  once  a  year.  In  July,  one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  nineteen,  met  the  House 
of  Burgesses,  consisting  of  twenty-two  members 
chosen  by  the  people.  A  peculiar  interest  is  attached 
to  this  first  Legislative  Assembly  in  the  New  World. 
The  laws  enacted  exhibit  the  spirit  of  the  people. 
“Forasmuche,”  said  the  Assembly,  “as  men’s  affaires 
doe  little  prosper  when  God’s  service  is  neglected,  we 
invite  Mr.  Bucke,  the  minister,  to  open  our  sessions 
by  prayer, — that  it  would  please  God  to  sanctifie  all 
our  proceedings  to  his  owne  glory  and  the  good  of 
this  plantation.”  They  passed  laws  against  vices 
and  in  favor  of  industry  and  good  order.  “In  detes¬ 
tation  of  idleness,”  the  idler  was  “to  be  sold  to  a 
master  for  wages  till  he  shewe  apparent  signes  of 
amendment.”  Laws  were  made  against  playing  of 
dice  and  cards,  drunkenness,  and  other  vices ;  and  to 
promote  the  “planting  of  corne,”  of  vines,  of  mul¬ 
berry  trees,  and  the  raising  of  flax  and  hemp.  They 
made  provision  “towards  the  erecting  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity  and  College.”  This  was  designed  for  the  ed¬ 
ucation  of  their  own  children,  as  well  as  for  “the  most 
towardly  boyes  in  witt  and  graces”  of  the  “natives’ 
children.”  The  governor  and  council  sat  with  the 
Assembly,  and  took  part  in  its  deliberations.  It  was 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA 


137 


granted  that  a  “generall  Assembly  should  be  held 
yearly  once,”  “to  ordain  whatsoever  laws  and  orders 
would  be  thought  good  and  profitable  for  our  sub¬ 
sistence.”* 

This  right  of  the  people  to  have  a  voice  in  making 
their  own  laws,  was  rigidly  maintained  until  it  found 
its  full  fruition  in  the  institutions  established  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  afterward  by  the  Revolution. 
Emigration  from  England  was  greatly  stimulated ;  in 
a  few  years  the  population  numbered  nearly  four 
thousand,  while  the  inducements  to  industry  and 
general  prosperity  increased  in  the  same  proportion. 
The  company  granted  a  written  constitution,  under 
which  the  people  could  have  a  legislative  assembly 
of  their  own  choosing.  It  was  necessary  that  the 
laws  passed  by  the  colonial  legislature  should  be 
sanctioned  by  the  company  in  England.  As  a  check 
to  royal  intereference,  no  laws  emanating  from  the 
court  could  be  valid,  unless  ratified  by  the  House  of 
Burgesses.  Thus  it  continued  until  the  dissolution 
of  the  London  company,  when  King  James  arbitrar¬ 
ily  took  away  its  charter. 

*Art.  IX.,  Vol.  III.,  Part  1.  Second  Series  of  Collections 
of  the  New  York  Historical  Society.  The  “Reporte”  of  the 
proceedings  of  this  “First  Assembly  of  Virginia,”  was  discov¬ 
ered  among  the  papers  of  the  British  State  Paper  Office. 
All  trace  of  it  had  been  lost  for  perhaps  more  than  two  cen¬ 
turies;  at  length  a  search,  instituted  by  Bancroft  the  his¬ 
torian,  was  successful. 


I 


\ 

CHAPTER  X. 

1602—1640- 

COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 

First  Voyages  to. — Plymouth  Company. — Explorations  of 
John  Smith. — The  Church  of  England. — The  Puritans. — 
Congregation  of  John  Robinson. — “Pilgrims”  in  Holland. 
— Arrangements  to  Emigrate. — The  Voyage. — A  Consti¬ 
tution  Framed  on  Board  the  May-Flower. — Landing  at 
Plymouth.  —  Sufferings.  —  Indians.  —  Treaties  With.  — 
“Weston’s  Men.” — Thanksgiving. — Shares  of  the  London 
Partners  Purchased. — Democratic  Government. 

The  usual  route  to  America  had  been  by  the  Ca¬ 
naries  and  the  West  Indies.  Bartholomew  Gosnold 
was  the  first  navigator  who  attempted  to  find  a 
shorter  one,  by  sailing  directly  across  the  Atlantic. 
His  effort  was  crowned  with  success :  after  a  voyage 
of  seven  weeks,  he  came  upon  the  coast  in  the  vicin¬ 
ity  of  Nahant.  Coasting  along  to  the  south,  he 
landed  upon  a  sandy  point,  which  he  named  Cape 
Cod;  and  passing  round  it  he  discovered  Martha's 
Vineyard,  and  several  other  islands  in  the  vicinity. 
While  he  explored  the  coast  he  also  traded  with  the 
natives,  and  when  he  had  obtained  a  cargo  of  sassa¬ 
fras  root,  which  in  that  day  was  much  valued  for  its 
medicinal  qualities,  he  sailed  for  home.  The  voyage 
consumed  but  five  weeks,  thus  demonstrating  the  su¬ 
periority  of  the  new  route. 

Gosnold,  who  saw  the  country  in  the  months  of 
May  and  June,  was  enraptured  with  its  appearance 
— its  forests  blooming  with  shrubs  and  flowers;  its 
springs  of  pure  fresh  water,  and  little  lakes;  its 
beautiful  islands  nestling  among  equally  beautiful 
bays  along  the  coast.  His  description,  together  with 
the  shortness  and  safety  of  the  voyage,  led  to  many 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 


139 


visits  and  minor  discoveries  by  Martin  Pring  and 
others,  all  along  the  coast  of  New  England. 

The  Plymouth  Company,  of  which  mention  has 
been  made,  attempted  to  form  a  settlement  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kennebec  in  Maine.  The  rigors  of  a 
severe  winter,  and  the  death  of  their  president,  so 
discouraged  the  colonists,  that  they  abandoned  the 
enterprise,  and  retur  \ed  to  England. 

A  few  years  af te  ward,  Smith,  whose  valuable 
services  we  have  seen  in  Virginia,  undertook  to  ex¬ 
plore  the  country.  He  constructed  a  map  of  the 
eastern  portion,  and  noted  the  prominent  features 
of  the  territory.  The  country  he  named  New  Eng¬ 
land — a  name  confirmed  b/  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
afterward  Charles  I.  After  Smith  left  for  England, 
his  associate,  a  captain  nan  ed  Hunt,  treacherously 
enticed  twenty-seven  of  the  natives  with  their  chief, 
Squanto,  on  board  his  ship,  then  set  sail.  He  sold 
these  victims  of  his  avarice  into  slavery  in  Spain.  A 
few  of  them  were  purchased  by  some  friars,  who 
kindly  taught  them,  in  order  to  send  them  back  as 
missionaries  to  their  countrymen.  Among  this 
number  was  Squanto. 

In  this  age,  we  are  unable  to  appreciate  fully  the 
trials  and  sufferings  experienced  by  the  explorers 
and  first  settlers  of  this  continent.  When  we  remem¬ 
ber  the  frailty  of  the  vessels  in  which  their  voyages 
were  made,  the  perils  of  the  unexplored  ocean,  the 
dangers  of  its  unknown  coasts,  the  hostility  of  the 
wily  savages,  the  diseases  of  an  untried  climate,  the 
labor  of  converting  the  primitive  forests  into  culti¬ 
vated  fields,  we  may  well  be  astonished  that  such  dif¬ 
ficulties  were  ever  overcome. 

We  have  now  to  narrate  the  causes  which  led  to 
the  settlement  of  New  England.  Previous  to  the 
time  of  Henry  VIII.  the  clergy  and  government  of 
England  had  been  in  religious  matters  the 


140 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


implicit  subjects  of  the  church  of  Rome.  While 
this  may  be  said  of  the  clergy  it  was  dif¬ 
ferent  with  great  numbers  of  the  people.  The 
spirit  of  religious  truth  was  pervading  their  minds 
and  moulding  their  character.  They  read  the  Bible 
in  their  own  language,  discussed  freely  its  truths, 
and  compared  them  with  the  doctrines  and  practices 
of  the  Romish  church.  The  Pope  claimed  to  be  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  head  of  the  church,  and  by  vir¬ 
tue  of  this  claim  to  depose  princes  or  absolve  sub¬ 
jects  from  their  allegiance.  Henry  wished  to  be  di¬ 
vorced  from  his  queen  in  order  to  marry  another ;  but 
the  Pope,  to  whom  he  applied,  as  the  highest  author¬ 
ity,  hesitated  to  dissolve  the  marriage.  The  angry 
king,  when  threatened  with  excommunication,  re¬ 
pudiated  the  Pope  and  his  authority,  and  declared 
the  English  church  independent  of  that  of  Rome. 
Parliament  afterward  confirmed  by  law  what  the 
king  in  a  fit  of  anger  had  done,  and  recognized  him 
as  the  head  of  the  church  in  his  own  dominions. 
Thus  England,  by  the  act  of  her  own  government, 
became  Protestant.  True  reformation  in  religion 
does  not  apply  so  much  to  its  external  form,  as  to  its 
effect  upon  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men.  That 
portion  of  the  English  people  who  had  learned  this 
truth  from  the  Word  of  God,  recognized  no  human 
being  as  the  head  of  their  church;  they  received 
Christ  alone  as  the  Head  of  His  own  chuch,  and  they 
refused  to  acknowledge  the  pretensions  of  the  king. 
For  the  maintenance  of  this  belief  they  were  perse¬ 
cuted  through  a  series  of  years ;  during  the  reign  of 
Henry  for  not  admitting  his  authority  in  spiritual 
matters ;  during  the  reign  of  his  daughter  Mary,  still 
more  fiercely,  for  denying  the  authority  of  the 
church  of  Rome.  Many  at  the  stake  sealed  their 
faith  with  their  lives,  and  many  fled  to  foreign  lands. 

After  the  death  of  Mary  the  persecuting  fires  were 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 


141 


extinguished,  and  the  accession  of  Elizabeth  was  the 
signal  for  the  exiles  to  return  home.  They  came 
back  with  more  enlightened  views  of  the  rights  of 
conscience  and  of  free  inquiry.  Of  these  some  were 
Presbyterians,  some  Congregationalists,  and  others 
members  of  the  Established  Church.  They  de¬ 
manded  a  more  pure  and  spiritual  worship  than  that 
of  the  church  of  England.  For  this  they  were  in  de¬ 
rision  called  Puritans — a  name  which  they  soon  made 
respected,  even  by  their  enemies.  Elizabeth  was  a 
Protestant,  but  she  was  far  from  being  a  Puritan. 
She  wished  to  have  a  church  that  should  reconcile  all 
parties,  whose  ceremonies  should  be  a  happy  medium 
between  the  showy  church  of  Rome  and  the  simple 
form  of  worship  asked  for  by  the  Puritans.  She 
contended  strenuously  for  her  headship  of  the 
church,  while  the  Puritans  rejected  the  presumptous 
doctrine.  She  demanded  of  her  subjects  implicit 
obedience  to  her  in  religious  matters:  the  Puritan 
took  the  high  ground  that  it  was  his  right  to  worship 
God  according  to  his  own  conscience. 

Severe  laws  were  passed  from  time  to  time,  and 
they  were  enforced  with  unrelenting  cruelty.  All 
were  enjoined  to  conform  to  certain  ceremonies  in 
worship.  Those  who  did  not  comply  were  banished ; 
if  they  returned  without  permission,  the  penalty  was 
death.  The  person  accused  was  compelled  to  an¬ 
swer  on  oath  all  questions,  whether  pertaining  to 
himself  or  to  his  fellow-worshippers.  Ministers  who 
would  not  comply  with  these  laws  were  driven  from 
their  parishes ;  the  members  of  their  congregations 
were  “beset  and  watched  night  and  day;”  if  they 
were  detected  in  listening  to  their  deprived  ministers, 
or  were  absent  a  certain  length  of  time  from  the 
services  of  the  Established  Church,  they  were  fined 
and  imprisoned,  and  punished  in  various  ways.  To 
avoid  the  effects  of  such  intolerable  laws,  many  bade 


142  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

farewell  to  their  native  land,  and  Holland  and  Switz¬ 
erland  became  the  asylum  of  some  of  the  noblest 
men  and  women  of  England. 

Thus  the  contest  had  raged  for  nearly  forty  years, 
when,  in  the  latter  part  of  Queen  Elizabeth’s  reign, 
the  Puritans  began  to  hope  that  the  dark  clouds  of 
persecution  which  had  so  long  overshadowed  the  land 
would  be  dispelled  under  her  successor,  James  I.,  who 
was  educated  in  Scotland,  principally  under  Presby¬ 
terian  influence.  They  had  reason  to  believe  he 
would  protect  them  in  the  exercise  of  their  form  of 
worship.  They  were  grossly  deceived,  and  cruelly 
disappointed.  When  it  was  for  his  interest,  James 
professed  to  be  very  favorable  to  the  Reformation, 
and  more  especially  to  the  Puritan  form.  Upon  one 
occasion,  standing  with  his  hands  lifted  up  to  heav¬ 
en,  he  “praised  God  that  he  was  king  of  such  a  kirk 
— the  purest  kirk  in  all  the  world adding,  “As  for 
the  kirk  of  England,  its  service  is  an  evil  said  mass.” 
Such  was  the  language  of  James  just  before  he  be¬ 
came  king.  The  moment  he  ascended  the  throne  he 
threw  off  the  mask  and  openly  proclaimed  his  fa¬ 
mous  maxim,  “No  bishop,  no  king.”  The  Puritans 
humbly  petitioned  him  for  a  redress  of  grievances ; 
he  treated  them  with  the  greatest  contempt.  Said 
he  to  his  bishops :  “I  will  make  them  conform,  or  I 
will  harry  them  out  of  the  land,  or  else  worse :  only 
hang  them — that’s  all.” 

During  all  these  years  they  hoped  for  better  times, 
and  were  unwilling  to  separate  from  the  church  of 
their  fathers ;  but  suffering  and  persecution  at  length 
brought  that  hour.  Hitherto  individuals  and  fam¬ 
ilies  had  gone  into  exile;  but  now,  in  the  north  of 
England,  a  pastor  with  all  his  congregation  deter¬ 
mined  to  leave  their  homes  and  flee  to  Holland,  where 
there  was  already  a  church  of  English  exiles.  This 
was  the  congregation  of  John  Robinson.  These  poor 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 


143 


people  were  harassed  by  the  minions  of  the  king  and 
clergy,  and  subjected  to  the  petty  annoyances  dic¬ 
tated  by  religious  intolerance.  Preparations  were 
made  for  them  to  leave.  As  they  were  about  to  sail, 
the  officers  of  the  government,  with  the  connivance 
of  the  captain  of  the  ship,  came  on  board  the  vessel, 
and  arrested  the  whole  company;  searched  their 
prisoners,  took  possession  of  their  effects,  and  car¬ 
ried  them  to  prison;  men,  women,  and  children.  In 
a  short  time  most  of  them  were  released ;  only  seven 
persons  were  brought  to  trial.  They  also  were  lib¬ 
erated.  The  court  could  not  convict  them  of  crime. 

The  members  of  the  congregation  persevered ;  and 
soon  they  engaged  a  Dutch  captain  to  take  them  from 
an  unfrequented  common.  The  women  and  children 
were  to  be  taken  to  the  place  of  embarkation  in  a 
small  boat,  the  men  to  go  by  land.  The  latter  reached 
the  ship,  and  were  taken  on  board.  The  boat  contain¬ 
ing  the  women  and  children  was  stranded,  and  before 
it  could  be  got  off  they  were  seized  by  a  party  of 
their  enemies.  The  captain,  lest  he  should  become 
involved  in  difficulties  with  the  English  authorities, 
sailed  immediately,  taking  with  him  the  men,  over¬ 
whelmed  with  grief  for  their  defenseless  wives  and 
children  in  the  hands  of  their  cruel  oppressors.  The 
poor  women  and  helpless  children  were  dragged, 
suffering  from  cold,  hunger  and  fear,  before  a  magis¬ 
trate,  as  if  they  had  been  guilty  of  crime.  They  were 
treated  very  harshly,  but  were  finally  permitted  to 
join  their  husbands  and  fathers  in  Holland. 

Now  they  were  Pilgrims  indeed,  strangers  in  a 
strange  land ;  “but  they  lifted  up  their  eyes  to  heav¬ 
en,  their  dearest  country,  and  quieted  their  spirits.” 
They  remained  about  a  year  at  Amsterdam ;  not  sat¬ 
isfied,  however,  they  removed  to  Leyden.  Their  in¬ 
tegrity  and  industry,  their  piety  and  self-denial,  in 
what  they  believed  to  be  the  cause  of  truth,  elicited 


144 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


the  respect  of  the  Dutch.  The  government  officers 
would  have  treated  them  with  marked  favor,  but 
they  feared  to  offend  King  James.  From  year  to 
year  they  received  accessions  from  their  brethren  in 
England.  They  were  still  surrounded  by  evils,  which 
made  it  necessary  for  them  again  to  change  their 
homes.  Their  labors  were  severe;  though  frugal 
and  industrious,  they  obtained  a  support  with  great 
difficulty.  The  desecration  of  the  Sabbath,  the  dis¬ 
solute  morals  of  the  disbanded  soldiers  and  sailors 
among  whom  they  were  thrown,  caused  them  to  fear 
for  their  children.  Holland  could  not  be  their  per¬ 
manent  home.  It  dawned  upon  the  minds  of  the 
more  intelligent,  that  it  was  their  duty  to  seek  some 
other  land.  Their  thoughts  were  directed  to  the 
wilderness  of  the  New  World.  They  expressed  not  a 
wish  in  regard  to  worldly  comfort,  but  a  desire  to 
consecrate  all  to  the  great  cause  of  promoting  Chris¬ 
tianity. 

Though  they  had  been  so  harshly  treated  by  Eng¬ 
land,  they  loved  her  still,  and  were  not  willing  to  ac¬ 
cept  the  offers  made  them,  to  colonize  under  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  the  Dutch.  They  had  heard  of  the  fine 
climate  and  the  settlement  of  Virginia,  and  resolved 
to  apply  to  the  London  Company  for  permission  to 
emigrate  to  their  territory.  For  this  purpose  they 
sent  two  of  their  number,  John  Carver  and  Robert 
Cushman,  to  confer  with  the  company.  Their  prop¬ 
osition  was  favorably  received  by  the  excellent  Sir 
Edwin  Sandys,  the  secretary.  Their  request,  signed 
by  the  greater  part  of  the  congregation,  was  after¬ 
ward  sent  to  the  company.  In  it  they  made  a  sum¬ 
mary  of  their  principles,  and  a  statement  of  their 
motives  of  action.  They  said,  “We  verily  believe 
that  God  is  with  us,  and  will  prosper  us  in  our  en¬ 
deavors;  we  are  weaned  from  our  mother  country, 
and  have  learned  patience  in  a  hard  and  strange 


i 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  145 

land.  We  are  industrious  and  frugal;  we  are 
bound  together  by  a  sacred  bond  of  the  Lord, 
whereof  we  make  great  conscience,  holding  ourselves 
to  each  other's  good.  We  do  not  wish  ourselves  home 
again;  we  have  nothing  to  hope  from  England  or 
Holland ;  we  are  men  who  will  not  be  easily  discour¬ 
aged.” 

They  were  to  emigrate  under  the  sanction  of  the 
company;  but  owing  to  dissensions  in  the  company 
itself,  the  plan  was  not  carried  out.  At  this  time  the 
king  was  oppressing  their  brethren  in  England  more 
and  more;  the  only  favor  the  Pilgrims  could  obtain 
from  him  was  a  half  promise  that  he  would  not  mo¬ 
lest  them  in  the  wilds  of  America.  In  truth,  James 
wished  to  be  freed  from  those  of  his  subjects  who 
had  any  just  notions  of  human  rights.  Said  he,  “I 
would  rather  live  like  a  hermit  in  the  forest,  than  be 
king  over  such  people  as  the  pack  of  Puritans  that 
overrule  the  House  of  Commons !” 

There  was  yet  another  difficulty.  The  Pilgrims 
were  poor — poor  indeed;  in  their  persecution  and 
exile  they  had  lost  their  all.  Upon  very  hard  condi¬ 
tions  they  secured  the  means  to  emigrate ;  yet  they 
were  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  could  they  but 
worship  God  in  peace,  and  protect  the  morals  of  their 
children. 

A  company  was  now  formed  of  London  merchants, 
who  agreed  to  furnish  the  money,  while  the  emigrant 
was  to  give  his  entire  services  for  seven  years ;  these 
services  were  to  constitute  his  stock  in  the  company. 
The  profits  were  to  be  reserved  to  the  end  of  that 
time,  then  a  valuation  of  all  the  property  held  by 
the  company  was  to  be  made,  and  the  amount  dis¬ 
tributed  to  each  in  proportion  to  his  investment.  By 
contract,  the  merchant  who  invested  ten  pounds  re¬ 
ceived  as  much  as  the  colonist  who  gave  seven  years 
of  labor.  This  throwing  of  all  their  labor  and  capital 


146 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


into  a  common  stock,  was  the  result  of  necessity,  not 
of  choice. 

They  purchased  one  ship,  the  Speedwell,  and  hired 
another,  the  May-Flower,  a  ship  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  tons.  As  these  vessels  could  carry  only  a  part 
of  the  congregation,  they  determined  to  send  the 
younger  and  more  vigorous,  while  the  pastor,  Robin¬ 
son,  and  the  aged  and  infirm,  were  to  remain  at 
Leyden.  Their  ruling  Elder,  William  Brewster,  who 
had  suffered  much  in  the  cause,  and  was  respected  , 
and  loved  for  his  integrity,  was  to  conduct  the  emi¬ 
grants.  Before  they  left,  they  observed  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer.  They  “sought  of  God  a  right 
way  for  themselves  and  their  little  ones.” 

The  parting  address  of  the  venerable  Robinson 
gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  principles  in  which,  from 
year  to  year,  he  had  instructed  them.  As  he  ad¬ 
dressed  them  for  the  last  time,  he  said :  “I  charge 
you  before  God  and  his  holy  angels,  that  you  follow 
me  no  farther  than  you  have  seen  me  follow  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  If  God  reveal  anything  to  you,  be 
ready  to  receive  it ;  for  I  am  verily  persuaded  the  Lord 
has  more  truth  yet  to  break  forth  out  of  his  Holy 
Word.  I  beseech  you  to  remember  it  is  an  article  of 
your  church  covenant,  that  you  be  ready  to  receive 
whatever  truth  shall  be  made  known  to  you  from  the 
written  Word  of  God.  Take  heed  what  you  receive 
as  truth;  examine  it,  consider  it,  and  compare  it 
with  other  scriptures  of  truth  before  you  receive  it ; 
the  Christian  world  has  not  yet  come  to  the  perfec¬ 
tion  of  knowledge.” 

A  number  of  their  brethren  came  from  Leyden  to 
Delft-Haven,  where  they  were  to  embark.  The  night 
before  their  departure  was  passed  in  religious  inter¬ 
course  and  prayer:  as  the  morning  dawned,  they  pre¬ 
pared  to  go  on  board  the  ship.  On  the  shore  they  all 
knelt,  and  the  venerable  Robinson  led  them  in  prayer 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 


147 


— they  heard  his  voice  for  the  last  time.  They  sailed 
first  to  Southampton;  in  a  fortnight  they  left  that 
place  for  their  distant  home.  It  was  soon  discovered 
that  the  Speedwell  needed  repairs,  and  they  must  re¬ 
turn.  After  the  lapse  of  eight  days  of  precious  time, 
they  again  make  the  attempt,  and  still  again  the  cap¬ 
tain  of  the  Speedwell  asserts  that  his  ship  cannot 
cross  the  Atlantic.  They  put  back  to  Plymouth: 
they  there  leave  the  Speedwell,  and  those  whose 
courage  failed  them,  and  to  the  number  of  one  hun¬ 
dred  one  once  more  they  commit  themselves  to  the 
winds  and  waves,  trusting  to  the  good  providence  of 
God. 

Let  us  glance  for  a  moment  at  the  circumstances 
and  characteristics  of  this  company.  They  were 
bound  together  by  the  strong  bonds  of  religious  sym¬ 
pathy — united  in  interest  and  purpose,  they  expected 
to  endure,  to  suffer,  to  rejoice  together  for  many 
years,  even  to  the  end  of  life. 

Prominent  among  them  was  William  Brewster, 
the  ruling  elder  and  lay  preacher,  already  mentioned, 
who  was  to  supply  the  place  of  the  pastor,  Robinson. 
He  was  a  man  of  education,  of  refined  associations, 
and  above  all  of  a  lovely  and  Christian  spirit.  “He 
laid  his  hand  to  the  daily  tasks  of  life,  as  well  as 
spent  his  soul  in  trying  to  benefit  his  fellows — so 
bringing  himself  as  near  as  possible  to  the  early 
Christian  practices ;  he  was  worthy  of  being  the  first 
minister  of  New  England.”*  There  was  also  the 
dignified  and  benevolent  John  Carver,  the  worthy 
governor  of  this  band  of  Christian  exiles,  who  in  the 
cause  laid  down  his  fortune,  and  at  length  his  life — 
for  he  soon  sank  beneath  the  hardships  to  which  he 
was  unused.  These  two  were  comparatively  old  men, 
but  most  of  the  “Pilgrim  Fathers”  were  in  the  bloom 
and  vigor  of  life. 

♦Elliott’s  History  of  New  England. 


148 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


William  Bradford  was  but  thirty-two,  earnest,  sa¬ 
gacious,  true  and  steady  in  purpose,  “a  man  of  nerve 
and  public  spirit self-educated,  and  so  ardent  in 
the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  that  amidst  all  his  trials 
and  labors,  he  accumulated  books,  and  found  time  to 
read  and  even  to  study  them.  As  a  farmer's  boy  in 
England,  as  a  dyer  in  Holland,  as  the  governor  of  a 
small  nation  in  the  wilds  of  America,  he  acted  well 
his  part. 

Edward  Winslow  was  “a  gentleman  born,”  with  a 
mind  cultivated  by  travel  and  books ;  gentle  in  man¬ 
ner  as  in  spirit,  his  soul  melted  at  the  sorrows  of 
others.  Miles  Standish  was  a  soldier,  fearless,  but 
not  rash ;  impetuous,  but  not  vindictive :  though  not 
a  member  of  the  church,  he  was  strongly  attached  to 
its  institutions  and  to  its  most  rigorous  advocates. 
Winslow  was  twenty-six,  and  Standish  thirty-six 
years  of  age. 

A  tedious  voyage  of  sixty-three  days  brought  them 
in  sight  of  Cape  Cod.  They  had  left  their  native  land 
to  seek  in  a  howling  wilderness  an  asylum  from  per¬ 
secution.  They  had  not  the  sanction  of  a  charter 
from  their  king,  and  they  appealed  to  no  body  of 
men  for  protection:  they  must  have  a  government; 
they  were  all  on  an  equality,  and  they  now  drew  up  a 
constitution,  or  compact,  to  which  the  men,  servants 
and  all,  to  the  number  of  forty-one,  subscribed  their 
names,  and  mutually  pledged  their  obedience. 

The  words  of  this  first  constitution,  made  and 
adopted  by  an  entire  people,  plainly  indicate  whence 
its  principles  were  derived.  They  say,  “In  the  name 
of  God,  amen :  we  whose  names  are  underwritten, 
having  undertaken  for  the  glory  of  God  and  advance¬ 
ment  of  the  Christian  faith,  a  voyage  to  plant  the 
first  colony  in  the  northern  parts  of  Virginia,  do  sel- 
emnly  and  mutually  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  one 
of  another,  covenant  and  combine  ourselves  together 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 


149 


into  a  body  politic;  and  by  virtue  hereof,  to  enact 
such  just  and  equal  laws  from  time  to  time,  as  shall 
be  thought  most  convenient  for  the  good  of  the  col¬ 
ony.  Unto  which  we  promise  all  due  submission  and 
obedience.”  Thus  the  principle  of  popular  liberty, 
that  laws  and  constitutions  should  be  framed  for 
the  benefit  of  the  entire  people,  found  its  utterance 
in  the  cabin  of  the  May-Flower,  by  the  act  of  the 
people  themselves. 

John  Carver  was  elected  governor  for  one  year. 
Miles  Standish,  who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  army 
sent  by  Queen  Elizabeth  to  aid  the  Dutch  against  the 
Spaniards,  was  chosen  captain.  Winter  was  coming 
on — they  were  anxious  to  land,  but  unfortunately 
the  shallop  needed  repairs.  In  the  meantime  Stand¬ 
ish,  Bradford  and  others,  impatient  of  delay,  went  to 
seek  a  convenient  harbor,  and  a  suitable  place  for 
the  settlement.  The  country  was  covered  with  snow ; 
in  one  place  they  found  some  baskets  of  corn,  and 
in  another  an  Indian  burial-ground. 

In  a  fortnight  the  shallop  was  ready  for  use,  and 
the  governor,  Winslow,  Bradford,  and  Standish,  with 
others  and  some  seamen,  went  to  explore  the  bay. 
The  cold  was  intense,  freezing  the  spray  of  the  sea 
on  their  clothes,  until,  as  they  expressed  it,  they 
were  made  as  hard  as  iron.  They  landed  occasional¬ 
ly,  found  graves  and  a  few  deserted  wigwams,  but 
no  other  evidence  of  human  beings.  On  one  of  these 
occasions  they  encamped  at  night  on  the  shore  near 
where  the  shallop  was  moored.  The  next  morning 
as  they  were  closing  their  devotions,  they  were 
startled  by  a  strange  cry — the  war-whoop  of  the  sav¬ 
age — it  was  accompanied  by  a  flight  of  arrows.  At 
the  report  of  their  guns  the  Indians  fled.  All  that 
day  was  spent  in  seeking  a  safe  harbor  for  the  ship. 
Near  night  a  violent  storm  of  rain  and  snow  drove 
them  through  the  breakers  into  a  cove,  protected 


150 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


from  the  blast  by  a  hill.  In  the  midst  of  the  tempest 
they  landed,  and  with  difficulty  kindled  a  fire.  In  the 
morning  they  found  they  were  on  an  island  at  the 
entrance  of  a  harbor.  The  next  day  was  the  Sab¬ 
bath  ;  though  urged  by  every  consideration  to  hasten 
to  the  ship,  they  religiously  observed  the  day. 

On  the  morrow,  December  twenty-second,  one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty — a  day  ever  to  be 
remembered  in  the  annals  of  our  country,  the  Pil¬ 
grims  landed.  The  place  they  named  after  the  town 
in  England  from  which  they  last  sailed.  The  bless¬ 
ings  which  have  flowed  from  the  settlement  of  New 
England  are  associated  with  the  spot  where  they  first 
set  foot — the  Rock  of  Plymouth. 

No  time  was  spent  in  idleness.  A  place  was  se¬ 
lected  for  the  settlement,  and  divided  into  lots  for 
families.  On  the  third  day  they  began  to  build; 
their  houses  went  up  but  slowly;  the  forest  trees 
must  first  be  felled  and  split  into  timbers ;  the  season 
was  inclement — their  strength  failed  them:  many 
from  exposure  had  received  into  their  bodies  the 
seeds  of  death ;  many  were  sick,  and  many  died.  At 
one  time  there  were  only  seven  of  the  whole  company 
not  disabled  by  sickness.  During  the  winter,  more 
than  forty  were  numbered  with  the  dead;  among 
these  were  the  wives  of  Bradford  and  Winslow,  and 
also  Rose,  the  young  bride  of  Miles  Standish.  The 
benevolent  Carver  lost  his  son — then  he  himself  sunk 
in  death,  soon  to  be  followed  by  his  heart-broken 
widow.  They  were  all  buried  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  rock  on  which  they  had  landed.  Lest  the 
many  graves  should  tell  the  Indians  the  story  of 
weakness  and  death,  the  spot  where  they  rested  was 
levelled  and  sown  with  grass.  At  length  spring 
drew  near,  and  warm  winds  from  the  south  moder¬ 
ated  the  cold.  The  trees  began  to  put  forth  their 
foliage,  and  among  their  branches  the  “birds  to  sing 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 


151 


pleasantly while  the  sick  were  gradually  recover¬ 
ing. 

When  the  May-Flower  left  for  England,  not  one  of 
these  heroic  men  and  women  desired  to  leave  the  land 
of  their  adoption.  They  had  now  a  government; 
they  had  a  church  covenant ;  they  had  a  constitution 
under  which  their  rights  were  secured,  and  each  one 
according  to  his  individual  merit  could  be  respected 
and  honored.  So  dear  to  them  were  these  privileges, 
that  all  the  privations  they  had  suffered,  the  sickness 
and  death  which  had  been  in  their  midst,  the  gloomy 
prospect  for  them,  could  not  induce  them  to  swerve 
from  their  determination  to  found  a  State,  where 
these  blessing  should  be  the  birthright  of  their  chil¬ 
dren. 

Famine  pressed  hard  upon  them,  for  in  the  au¬ 
tumn  they  were  joined  by  some  new  emigrants,  who 
had  come  ill-provisioned ;  and  for  the  succeeding  six 
months  they  had  only  half  a  supply.  “I  have  seen 
men,”  says  Winslow,  “stagger  by  reason  of  faintness 
for  want  of  food.”  Their  privations  for  two  or  three 
years  were  greater  than  those  of  any  colony  planted 
in  the  country.  But  their  implicit  confidence  in  the 
goodness  of  God  was  never  shaken.  At  times  Indians 
were  seen  hovering  around  their  settlement,  but  no 
communication  had  been  held  with  them,  as  they  fled 
when  approached.  One  day,  to  their  surprise,  an 
Indian  boldly  entered  their  village,  crying  out,  wel¬ 
come  Englishmen!  welcome  Englishmen!  It  was 
Samoset.  He  belonged  to  the  Wampanoags,  a  tribe 
living  in  the  vicinity.  He  had  learned  a  few  English 
words  from  the  fishermen  on  the  Penobscot. 

Samoset,  in  the  name  of  his  tribe,  told  the  Pilgrims 
to  possess  the  land,  for  the  year  before  those  to 
whom  it  belonged  had  been  swept  away  by  a  pest¬ 
ilence.  This  announcement  was  a  great  relief  to 
their  fears.  Samoset  soon  again  appeared,  and  with 


152 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


him  Squanto,  who,  as  has  been  mentioned,  had  been 
kidnapped  and  sold  into  slavery  in  Spain,  had  been 
freed,  found  his  way  to  England,  and  finally  home. 
They  announced  that  Massasoit,  the  grand  sachem  of 
the  Wampanoags,  desired  an  interview.  The  chief 
and  his  retinue  of  warriors  had  taken  their  position 
on  a  neighboring  hill.  Squanto  acted  as  interpreter. 
A  treaty  of  friendship  was  made  between  the  chief 
and  the  English,  by  which  they  promised  to  defend 
each  other  when  attacked  by  enemies.  For  more 
than  fifty  years,  till  King  Philip’s  war,  this  treaty 
was  observed.  The  Pilgrims  offered  to  pay  for  the 
baskets  of  corn  they  had  found  buried ;  this  they  did 
six  months  afterward  when  the  owners  appeared.  A 
trade,  very  beneficial  to  the  colony,  commenced  with 
the  Indians,  who  promised  to  sell  them  all  their  furs. 

Why  not  remember  the  humble  services  of  Squan¬ 
to?  The  Pilgrims  looked  upon  him  as  a  “special  in¬ 
strument  of  God  sent  for  their  good  beyond  their  ex¬ 
pectation.”  He  taught  them  how  to  plant  corn  to  put 
fish  with  it  to  make  it  grow,  where  to  find  the  fish  and 
how  to  take  them.  He  was  their  interpreter  and 
their  pilot.  Under  his  tuition  they  soon  raised  corn 
so  abundantly  as  to  have  a  surplus  to  exchange  with 
the  Indians  for  furs.  By  means  of  these  furs  they 
obtained  from  England  the  merchandise  they 
wanted.  He  remained  their  friend  till  his  death,  and 
when  dying  asked  the  governor  to  pray  that  he  might 
go  to  the  “Englishman’s  God  in  heaven.” 

Massasoit  desired  the  alliance  with  the  Pilgrims 
as  a  protection  against  Canonicus,  the  chief  of  the 
powerful  Narragansetts,  who  lived  on  the  shores  of 
the  beautiful  bay  which  bears  their  name.  Canon¬ 
icus  was  not,  however,  to  be  deterred  from  exhibiting 
his  hostility.  As  a  challenge  he  sent  to  Plymouth 
some  arrows  wrapped  in  the  skin  of  a  rattlesnake. 
Bradford,  who  was  now  governor,  sent  back  the  same 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 


153 


skin  filled  with  powder  and  shot.  The  Indians  looked 
upon  it  as  containing  a  deadly  influence,  to  be  exerted 
against  the  enemies  of  the  English.  In  terror  they 
sent  it  from  tribe  to  tribe,  none  of  whom  dared  either 
keep  or  destroy  it.  Finally,  the  skin  and  its  contents 
were  returned  to  the  colony.  Canonicus  himself,  in 
a  short  time,  desired  an  alliance  of  peace ;  evidently 
more  from  fear  than  from  good-will. 

In  trade  the  Pilgrims  took  no  advantage  of  the  ig¬ 
norance  of  the  Indians.  They  became  involved  in 
difficulties  with  them,  however,  through  the  im¬ 
proper  conduct  of  others. 

Thomas  Weston,  a  merchant  of  London,  who  had 
invested  money  in  the  enterprise  of  founding  the 
Plymouth  Colony,  now  wished  to  engross  the  entire 
profits  of  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indians.  He  ob¬ 
tained  a  patent  for  a  small  district,  near  Weymouth, 
on  Boston  harbor,  and  sent  over  about  sixty  men, 
chiefly  indented  servants.  These  men  ill  treated  the 
Indians,  stole  their  corn,  and  thus  excited  their  hos¬ 
tility.  The  savage  seeks  redress  by  murdering  those 
who  do  him  wrong.  The  Indians  did  not  distinguish 
between  the  honesty  and  good-will  of  the  Pilgrims, 
and  the  dishonesty  and  evil  acts  of  “Weston's  men 
they  plotted  to  involve  all  the  white  strangers  in  one 
common  ruin.  Massasoit  was  dangerously  sick ; 
Winslow  kindly  visited  him;  turned  out  of  the  wig¬ 
wam  the  Indian  doctors,  who  were  making  a  great 
noise  to  drive  off  the  disease,  and  relieved  the  chief 
by  giving  him  medicine  and  quiet.  The  grateful 
Massasoit  revealed  the  plot.  The  people  were  greatly 
alarmed;  they  had  heard  of  a  terrible  massacre  in 
Virginia,  and  they  feared  such  would  be  their  own 
experience.  Not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost ;  they  must 
act  in  self  defense.  Captain  Standish  hastened  with 
eight  men  to  the  assistance  of  those  at  Weymouth. 
He  arrived  in  time  not  only  to  prevent  the  attack,  but 


154 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


to  surprise  the  Indians  themselves.  In  the  conflict, 
the  principal  plotting  chief  and  some  of  his  men  were 
killed.  This  exploit  taught  the  Indains  to  respect  the 
English ;  many  of  the  neighboring  chiefs  now  sought 
peace  and  alliance.  When  the  good  pastor,  Mr.  Rob¬ 
inson,  heard  of  this  conflict,  he  exclaimed,  “Oh,  that 
they  had  converted  some  before  they  killed  any!” 
One  year  saw  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  this  trad¬ 
ing  establishment  at  Weymouth.  Apprehension  of 
danger  from  the  natives  was  now  removed. 

As  “Thanksgiving”  has  now  become  a  national 
festival,  the  manner  in  which  it  was  first  instituted 
has  a  peculiar  interest.  In  the  autumn  of  1623,  after 
the  fruits  of  the  harvest  were  gathered  in,  Governor 
Bradford  sent  out  a  company  for  game,  to  furnish 
dainty  materials  for  a  feast.  God  had  blessed  their 
labors,  and  this  was  to  be  a  feast  of  Thanks-Giving. 
“So  they  met  together  and  thanked  God  with  all  their 
hearts,  for  the  good  world  and  the  good  things  in  it.” 

The  merchant  partners  in  England  complained  of 
the  small  profits  derived  from  their  investments. 
They  began  to  neglect  the  interests  of  the  colony,  and 
to  manifest  their  displeasure  in  various  ways.  They 
v/ould  not  permit  Robinson  and  his  family,  with  the 
re  mainder  of  the  church  at  Leyden,  to  join  their 
friends  at  Plymouth.  They  sold  the  colonists  goods 
at  enormous  prices,  and  sent  a  ship  to  rival  them  in 
their  limited  fur  trade.  They  outraged  their  feelings 
by  attempting  to  force  upon  them  one  Lyford,  a 
clergyman  friendly  to  the  Established  Church.  Ly¬ 
ford  was  expelled  from  Plymouth,  not  on  account  of 
his  religious  views,  but,  according  to  Bradford,  for 
conduct  injurious  to  the  colony  and  immorality. 

In  time  industry  and  frugality  triumphed;  the 
Pilgrims  in  five  or  six  years  were  able  to  purchase  the 
entire  stock  of  those  who  were  annoying  them  in  this 
ungenerous  manner.  The  stock  and  the  land  were 


155 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 

|H  7 J )  j  1  <> ')  *  **** 

equitably  divided,  and  the  arrangement  of  private 
property  fully  carried  out,  each  one  becoming  the 
owner  of  a  piece  of  land. 

Though  the  Pilgrims  had  no  charter,  they  formed 
a  government  upon  the  most  liberal  principles.  They 
had  a  governor,  who  was  chosen  by  the  people,  and 
whose  power  was  limited  by  a  council  of  five.  For 
more  than  eighteen  years  the  whole  male  population 
were  the  legislators. 

They  were  the  pioneers  of  religious  freedom — the 
openers  of  an  asylum  in  the  New  World,  to  which  the 
persecuted  for  religion's  sake,  and  political  opinions, 
have  been  flocking  from  that  day  to  this.  Says  Gov¬ 
ernor  Bradford,  in  his  history  of  the  colony:  “Out 
of  small  beginnings  great  things  have  been  produced, 
by  His  hand  that  made  all  things  out  of  nothing ;  and 
as  one  small  candle  will  light  a  thousand,  so  the  light 
here  kindled  hath  shone  to  many,  yea,  to  our  whole 
nation.” 


I 


CHAPTER  XI. 

1624—1655 

COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 

A  Company  Organized. — Settlement  at  Salem. — The  Charter 
Transferred. — Boston  and  Vicinity  Settled. — Encourage¬ 
ments. — Disputes. — Roger  Williams;  His  Banishment;  He 
Founds  Providence. — Discussions  Renewed. — Anne  Hutch¬ 
inson. — Settlement  of  Rhode  Island. — The  Dutch  at  Hart¬ 
ford;  Disputes  With. — Migrations  to  the  Fertile  Valley 
of  the  Connecticut;  Hooker  and  Haynes. — Springfield. — 
Fort  at  Saybrooke. — Pequods  Become  Hostile. — Expedi¬ 
tions  Against  Them;  Their  Utter  Ruin. — Rev.  John  Dav¬ 
enport. — Settlement  of  New  Haven. — Sir  Ferdinand 
Gorges. — New  Hampshire. — The  United  Colonies. — The 
Providence  Plantations. — Educated  Men. — Harvard  Col¬ 
lege. — The  Printing  Press. — Common  Schools. — Grammar 
Schools. — Quakers;  Persecution  of. — Eliot  the  Apostle. — 
The  Mayhews. — Progress. 

Persecution  raged  through  the  reign  of  James,  and 
threatened  to  continue  through  the  reign  of  his  son 
and  successor,  Charles  I. 

The  various  accounts  sent  to  England  by  the  col¬ 
onists  at  Plymouth,  excited  great  interest,  especially 
in  the  minds  of  the  Puritans.  They  listened  to  them 
as  to  a  voice  from  Heaven,  calling  upon  them  to 
leave  their  native  land,  and  join  their  brethren  in 
these  ends  of  the  earth.  This  was  not  wild  enthusi¬ 
asm,  but  the  calm  promptings  of  duty. 

Pamphlets  were  published  giving  descriptions  of 
the  land  of  promise ;  it  promised  not  wealth  and  ease, 
but  only  peace  and  quietness.  There  were  many  who 
preferred  these,  with  toils  and  privations  in  the  wilds 
of  America,  to  religious  persecutions  in  their  own 
land.  » 

The  Rev.  Mr.  White,  of  Dorchester,  was  a  controll- 


i 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


157 


in g  spirit  in  the  enterprise.  He  was  a  Puritan,  but 
not  of  the  Separatists  from  the  Established  Church, 
as  were  Robinson  and  his  congregation. 

The  Council  of  Plymouth  had  taken  the  place  of 
the  old  Plymouth  Company.  This  Council  had  no 
worthier  object  than  gain;  it  granted  the  same  re¬ 
gion  to  different  individuals,  and  thus  laid  the  foun¬ 
dation  for  endless  disputes.  It  sold  to  some  gentle¬ 
men  of  Dorchester  a  belt  of  territory,  extending  from 
three  miles  south  of  Massachusetts  bay  to  three 
miles  north  of  any  part  of  Merrimac  river,  and,  as 
usual,  west  to  the  Pacific.  The  company  prepared 
to  send  a  colony.  The  care  of  the  enterprise  was  in¬ 
trusted  to  one  of  their  number,  John  Endicott,  a  man 
of  stern  character  and  sterling  integrity.  He 
brought  with  him  his  family,  and  about  one  hundred 
other  persons ;  they  landed  at  Salem,  and  there  com¬ 
menced  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  Men  of 
wealth  and  influence,  such  as  Winthrop,  Thomas 
Dudley,  Saltonstall,  Bellingham,  Johnson,  Simon 
Bradstreet,  William  Coddington,  and  others,  who 
afterward  exerted  a  great  influence  in  the  colony, 
were  willing  to  bear  a  part  in  carrying  the  “pure 
gospel”  to  New  England.  The  king  looked  upon  the 
colony  about  to  be  founded  more  as  a  trading  corpor¬ 
ation  than  as  the  germ  of  an  independent  nation,  and 
he  willingly  gave  them  a  charter  under  which  they 
lived  more  than  fifty  years.  By  the  terms  of  this 
charter  the  royal  signature  was  not  necessary  to  give 
validity  to  the  laws  made  under  it. 

Soon  another  choice  company,  in  which  “no  idle 
persons  were  found,”  was  ready  to  sail.  The  good 
Francis  Higginson  accompanied  them  as  their  minis¬ 
ter.  As  the  shores  of  England  receded  from  sight, 
Higginson  expressed  the  feelings  of  the  emigrants; 
as  from  the  deck  of  the  ship  his  eyes  turned  for  the 
last  time  to  his  native  land,  he  exclaimed,  “Farewell, 


158 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


England! — farewell,  all  Christian  friends! — we  sep¬ 
arate  not  from  the  church,  but  from  its  corruptions ; 
— we  go  to  spread  the  gospel  in  America.”  There 
were  about  two  hundred  in  this  company;  the  ma¬ 
jority  remained  at  Salem,  the  rest  went  to  Charles¬ 
town.  Privations  and  exposure  brought  sickness,  and 
before  the  end  of  a  year  death  had  laid  his  hand  on 
more  than  half  their  number,  among  whom  was  their 
pastor,  Higginson.  When  the  summons  came,  the 
dying  seemed  only  to  regret  that  they  were  not  per¬ 
mitted  to  aid  their  brethren  in  founding  a  pure 
church  in  the  wilderness. 

The  charter  contained  no  provision  for  the  rights 
of  the  people,  it  left  them  at  the  mercy  of  the  corpor¬ 
ation  ;  and  as  long  as  that  charter  remained  in  Eng¬ 
land,  they  could  take  no  part  in  theft*  own  govern¬ 
ment.  It  was  also  silent  on  the  subject  of  their  re¬ 
ligious  freedom ;  at  any  moment  this  might  be  inter¬ 
fered  with  by  the  king  and  his  clergy.  There  was 
only  one  way  to  be  freed  from  such  undue  inter¬ 
ference.  By  the  charter  their  governing  council 
could  choose  the  place  of  meeting  for  the  transaction 
of  business.  It  was  a  bold  step ;  but  they  chose,  here¬ 
after,  to  meet  on  the  soil  of  the  colony.  This  trans¬ 
fer  of  the  governing  council  and  charter  made  its 
government  virtually  independent. 

The  officers  were  to  be  a  governor,  a  deputy  gov¬ 
ernor,  and  eighteen  assistants.  These  were  elected 
before  leaving  England.  John  Winthrop  was  chosen 
governor,  and  Thomas  Dudley  deputy  governor.  A 
fleet  of  seventeen  ships  set  sail  with  the  officers 

s 

elect,  and  fifteen  hundred  emigrants;  they  arrived 
in  June  and  July.  Their  arrival  was  opportune,  for 
those  who  had  preceded  them  were  in  great  distress 
from  sickness  and  scarcity  of  food. 

Settlements  were  now  made  at  various  places 
around  the  bay;  Charlestown,  Newton,  Dorchester, 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


159 


Watertown.  A  fine  spring  of  pure  water,  on  the 
peninsula  called  Shawmut,  induced  the  governor  and 
some  other  persons  to  settle  there.  The  position 
was  central,  and  it  became  the  capital,  under  the 
name  of  Boston.  The  change  of  climate  and  mode  of 
living  brought  disease  upon  great  numbers ;  yet  they 
looked  upon  their  sorrows  as  so  many  trials,  designed 
to  make  them  appreciate  still  more  the  blessings 
which  the  future  had  in  store  for  them.  As  they 
hoped,  these  evils  gradually  passed  away,  and  pros¬ 
perity  smiled. 

At  first  the  assistants  could  hold  office  for  life, 
and  in  addition  it  was  their  privilege  to  elect  the 
governor.  The  people  became  jealous  of  their  liber¬ 
ties  ;  the  dispute  was  compromised  by  their  electing 
their  magistrates  annually.  They  were  to  be  chosen 
by  the  freemen  of  the  colony,  of  whom  no  one  who 
was  not  a  church  member  could  have  a  vote.  This 
law  was  injudicious,  though  enacted  with  the  best  in¬ 
tentions.  They  wished  a  government  based  on  pure¬ 
ly  religious  principles,  and  they  thought  to  secure 
such  a  government  by  allowing  none  but  the  religious 
to  take  part  in  it.  Another  change  was  made  from 
the  purely  democratic  form,  when  all  the  freemen 
met  in  convention  and  voted  on  the  laws,  to  tha\of 
the  republican,  when  the  people  elected  deputies,  who 
were  authorized  to  legislate  and  transact  the  affairs 
of  the  colony. 

The  colonists  dealt  honestly  with  the  Indians  and 
endeavored  to  preserve  their  good  will.  They  “were 
to  buy  their  lands,  and  not  to  intrude  upon,  and  in 
no  respect  injure  them;”  they  also  “hoped  to  send 
the  gospel  to  the  poor  natives.”  Many  of  the  neigh¬ 
boring  chiefs  desired  their  friendship.  One  came 
from  the  distant  river  Connecticut;  he  extolled  its 
fertile  valleys  and  blooming  meadows;  he  offered 
them  land  near  him,  because  he  wished  their  protec- 


160 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


tion  against  the  brave  and  fiery  Pequods.  Fraternal 
and  Christian  intercourse  was  held  from  time  to  time 
with  the  old  colony  of  Plymouth ;  as  a  harbinger  of 
the  future,  there  came  from  Virginia  a  vessel  laden 
with  corn ;  and  the  Dutch,  who  some  years  before  had 
settled  at  Manhattan,  visited  them  with  kindly  greet¬ 
ings.  Thus  dawned  a  brighter  day. 

During  this  year  more  than  three  thousand  per¬ 
sons  came  from  England,  many  of  whom  were  men 
of  influence,  wealth,  and  education.  Prominent 
among  these  was  Hugh  Peters,  an  eloquent  clergy¬ 
man,  and  Harry  Vane,  a  young  man  of  much  prom¬ 
ise,  the  son  and  heir  of  a  privy-councillor — a  fact  of 
some  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  people.  Vane, 
however,  was  a  true  Republican.  The  people  the 
next  year  unwisely  elected  him  governor,  in  place 
of  the  dignified  and  benevolent  Winthrop. 

The  Puritans  had  experienced  all  the  evils  of  re¬ 
ligious  intolerance,  but  unfortunately  they  had  not 
themselves  learned  to  be  lenient.  In  the  colony  there 
was  a  young  clergyman,  Roger  Williams,  a  man  of 
ardent  temperament,  a  clear  reasoner,  and  very  de¬ 
cided  in  his  opinions.  He  came  in  conflict  with  the 
magistrates,  as  he  advanced  sentiments  which  they 
deemed  subversive  of  all  authority, — such  as  that 
obedience  to  the  magistrate  should  not  be  enforced — 
that  the  oath  of  allegiance  should  not  be  required: 
he  also  denounced  the  law  that  compelled  all  persons 
to  attend  worship,  as  an  infringement  of  the  rights 
of  conscience;  he  said  the  service  of  the  church 
should  be  supported  by  its  members,  and  not  by  a 
tax  upon  all  the  people.  His  principles  were  in  ad¬ 
vance  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived :  one  hundred  and 
forty  years  after  this  time  they  were  fully  carried 
out.  He  contended  that  the  charter  from  the  king 
was  invalid;  the  Indians  were  the  original  proprie¬ 
tors.  The  people  repelled  the  aspersion  as  unjust, 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


161 


because  they  had  purchased  their  lands  from  the  In¬ 
dians,  and  acknowledged  their  rights  by  making 
treaties  with  them.  The  contest  waxed  warm.  Wil¬ 
liams  accepted  an  invitation  to  Salem :  the  people  of 
that  place  were  admonished  by  the  General  Court  to 
beware,  lest  they  should  encourage  sedition.  Upon 
this  he  retired  to  Plymouth, — there  for  two  years 
he  maintained  his  opinions  unmolested.  The  people 
of  the  old  colony  had  learned  the  lesson  of  toleration 
in  their  exile  in  Holland. 

Williams  was  again  invited  to  Salem,  in  open  de¬ 
fiance  of  the  authority  of  the  General  Court,  the  gov¬ 
erning  power  of  the  colony.  A  committee  of  min¬ 
isters  held  conferences  and  discussions  with  him, 
but  without  inducing  him  to  retract.  As  the  people 
of  Salem  sustained  him,  the  Court  admonished  them, 
and  pronounced  the  sentence  of  banishment  against 
Williams.  It  was  not  the  expression  of  opinions  on 
the  subject  of  conscience,  or  “soul-oppression,”  as 
he  termed  it,  that  alarmed  the  Court,  but  the  expres¬ 
sion  of  opinions  which,  if  carried  into  effect,  would, 
they  affirmed,  destroy  all  human  government. 

In  midwinter,  Williams  became  a  wanderer  for 
conscience’  sake.  He  went  to  the  sons  of  the  forest 
for  that  protection  denied  him  by  his  Christian 
brethren.  For  fourteen  weeks  he  wandered;  some¬ 
times  he  received  the  simple  hospitality  of  the  na¬ 
tives  ;  sometimes  his  lodging  place  was  a  hollow  tree. 
At  last  he  was  received  into  the  cabin  of  Massasoit, 
at  Mount  Hope.  He  was  the  Indians’  friend,  and  they 
loved  him.  He  thought  of  settling  at  Seekonk,  on 
Pawtucket  river ;  that  place  being  within  the  bounds 
of  the  Plymouth  colony,  Winslow,  the  governor,  ad¬ 
vised  him  to  remove  beyond  their  limits,  lest  it 
should  create  difficulty  with  the  Bay  colony.  Wil¬ 
liams  received  this  advice  in  the  spirit  in  which  it 
was  given,  and  removed  to  the  country  of  the  Narra- 


162 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


gansets,  With  five  companions  in  a  canoe,  he  went 
round  to  the  west  side  of  the  arm  of  the  bay.  Land¬ 
ing  at  a  beautiful  spot,  he  found  a  spring  of  pure 
water.  He  resolved  there  to  make  a  settlement.  In 
thankfulness  he  called  the  place  Providence.  Tradi¬ 
tion  at  this  day  points  out  the  spring  near  which 
he  built  his  cabin.  Canonicus,  the  chief  of  the  Nar- 
ragansets,  would  not  sell  his  land,  but  gave  him  a 
little  domain  “to  enjoy  forever.” 

Williams  here  put  in  practice  his  theory  of  govern¬ 
ment.  The  land  was  given  to  him,  and  he  distributed 
it  to  his  followers.  It  was  purely  a  government  of 
the  people.  All  promised  to  obey  the  voice  of  the  ma¬ 
jority  in  temporal  things:  in  things  spiritual,  to  obey 
only  God. 

Discussions  were  still  rife  in  Massachusetts  on  all 
subjects.  The  men  held  meetings,  in  which  they  dis¬ 
cussed  matters  pertaining  to  their  liberties;  edified 
each  other  with  expositions  of  passages  of  Scripture, 
and  criticized  the  weekly  sermons  of  their  ministers. 
As  women  were  not  allowed  to  speak  in  these  meet¬ 
ings,  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson,  a  woman  of  great  elo¬ 
quence  and  talent,  thought  the  rights  of  her  sex  were 
not  properly  respected ;  she  therefore  held  meetings 
for  their  benefit  at  her  own  house.  At  these  meet¬ 
ings,  theological  opinions  were  advocated,  at  variance 
with  those  of  the  ministers  and  magistrates.  The 
people  became  divided  into  two  parties,  and  the 
affair  soon  took  a  political  turn :  on  the  one  side  were 
arrayed  Winthrop  and  the  older  settlers,  and  with 
few  exceptions,  the  ministers :  on  the  other,  Governor 
Vane  and  the  adherents  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson.  She 
and  her  party  were  accustomed  to  speak  of  them¬ 
selves  as  “being  under  a  covenant  of  grace,”  and  of 
their  opponents  as  “being  under  a  covenant  of 
works.”  These  indefinite  phrases  irritated  her  op¬ 
ponents  exceedingly.  They  proclaimed  her  a  despis- 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


163 


er  of  all  spiritual  authority ;  “like  Rogers  Williams,  or 
worse and  darkly  insinuated  that  she  was  a  witch. 
The  friends  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson  spoke  of  appealing  to 
the  king ;  this  was  downright  treason  in  the  eyes  of 
their  opponents, — their  allegiance  was  given  to  the 
government  of  the  colony,  not  to  the  king.  A  con¬ 
vention  of  ministers  was  held,  they  investigated  her 
doctrines,  and  declared  them  unsound  and  injurious. 
At  the  ensuing  election,  Winthrop  was  chosen  gov¬ 
ernor;  and  soon  after  Vane  left  for  England.  Mrs. 
Hutchinson  and  her  followers  were  admonished,  but 
without  effect;  she,  with  her  brother-in-law  John 
Wheelwright,  and  others,  were  exiled  from  the  col¬ 
ony.  How  much  wiser  it  would  have  been  had  the 
magistrates  permitted  her  to  exercise  her  “gift  of 
discussing/'  even  if  she  did  say  they  were  “under  a 
covenant  of  works” ! 

Roger  Williams  invited  the  exiles  to  settle  in  his 
vicinity.  By  his  influence  they  obtained  from  Mi- 
antonomoh,  the  nephew  and  prospective  successor  of 
Canonicus,  a  beautiful  island,  which  they  named  the 
Isle  of  Rhodes.  Here  this  little  company  of  not  more 
than  twenty  persons,  formed  a  settlement.  William 
Coddington,  who  had  been  a  magistrate  in  the  Bay 
Colony,  was  elected  judge  or  ruler.  They,  too,  cove¬ 
nanted  with  each  other  to  obey  the  laws  made  by  the 
majority,  and  to  respect  the  rights  of  conscience. 
Mrs.  Hutchinson  and  her  family  remained  here  sev¬ 
eral  years,  and  then  removed  farther  west  beyond 
New  Haven,  into  the  territory  of  the  Dutch;  there 
she  and  all  her  family  who  were  with  her,  with  the 
exception  of  one  daughter,  who  was  taken  captive, 
were  murdered  by  the  Indians. 

The  Dutch  from  Manhattan  explored  the  Connecti¬ 
cut  river  six  years  before  the  landing  of  the  Pil¬ 
grims  at  Plymouth.  They  erected  a  fortified  trad- 


164 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


in g  house  near  where  Hartford  now  stands,  but  by 
ill-treating  the  Indians  they  excited  their  hostility, 
and  lost  a  trade  that  might  have  been  valuable. 

Unable  to  occupy  the  territory,  and  unwilling  to 
lose  its  advantages,  they  invited  the  Pilgrims  to  leave 
the  sterile  soil  of  Plymouth  and  remove  to  the  fertile 
vales  of  the  Connecticut,  and  live  under  their  pro¬ 
tection.  The  invitation  was  not  accepted ;  but  as  the 
Pilgrims  were  convinced  that  a  change  to  more  fer¬ 
tile  lands  was  desirable,  Governor  Winslow  went  on 
an  exploring  tour  to  that  region;  having  found  the 
soil  as  fertile  as  had  been  represented  he  promoted 
emigration. 

The  Council  of  Plymouth  had  given  a  grant  of  Con¬ 
necticut  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  who  the  next  year 
transferred  his  claim  or  patent  to  Lords  Say  and 
Brooke,  John  Hampden,  and  others.  The  eastern 
boundary  of  this  grant  was  the  Narraganset  river, 
and  the  western  the  Pacific  ocean.  When  the  Dutch 
learned  of  this  grant,  they  purchased  of  the  Indians 
the  tract  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Hartford,  on 
which  stood  their  trading-house,  and  prepared  to  de¬ 
fend  their  rights ;  they  erected  a  fort  and  mounted 
two  cannons,  to  prevent  the  English  from  ascending 
the  river.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  Captain 
William  Holmes,  who  was  sent  by  Governor  Winslow, 
arrived  in  a  sloop,  with  a  company,  and  prepared  to 
make  a  settlement.  The  Dutch  commandant  threat¬ 
ened  him  with  destruction  if  he  should  attempt  to 
pass  his  fort.  The  undaunted  Holmes  passed  by  un¬ 
injured,  and  put  up  a  fortified  house  at  Windsor.  He 
was  not  permitted  to  enjoy  his  place  in  peace;  the 
next  year  the  Dutch  made  an  effort  to  drive  him 
away,  but  not  succeeding  they  compromised  the  mat¬ 
ter  by  relinquishing  all  claim  to  the  valley.  The 
parties  agreed  upon  a  dividing  line,  very  nearly  the 
same  as  that  existing  at  this  day  between  the  States 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


165 


of  New  York  and  Connecticut.  As  the  natural  mea¬ 
dows  on  the  Connecticut  would  furnish  much  more 
grass  and  hay  for  their  cattle  than  the  region  nearer 
the  sea  shore,  many  of  the  Pilgrims  determined  to 
remove  thither. 

The  following  autumn,  a  party  of  sixty  persons, 
men,  women  and  children,  undertook  the  desperate 
work  of  going  through  the  woods  and  swamps  from 
Plymouth  to  Connecticut.  The  journey  was  labor¬ 
ious  and  the  suffering  great.  When  they  arrived  at 
the  river  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  the  pre¬ 
cursor  of  an  unusually  severe  winter.  A  sloop  from 
Plymouth,  laden  with  provisions  and  their  household 
furniture,  failed  to  reach  them  on  account  of  storms 
and  ice.  Their  cattle  all  perished;  a  little  corn  ob¬ 
tained  from  the  Indians,  and  acorns,  were  their  only 
food;  they  barely  escaped  starvation. 

During  this  year  three  thousand  persons  came  to 
Boston  from  England.  Among  these  was  the  Rev¬ 
erend  Thomas  Hooker,  who  has  been  called  "The 
Light  of  the  Western  Churches.”  He  was  a  man 
of  great  eloquence,  and  of  humble  piety ;  his  talents, 
of  a  high  order,  commanded  universal  respect,  while 
his  modesty  won  him  ardent  friends.  When  he  was 
silenced  for  non-conformity  in  England,  great  num¬ 
bers  of  the  clergy  of  the  Established  Church  peti¬ 
tioned  that  he  might  be  restored.  But  in  those  days 
to  be  a  Non-Conformist  was  an  unpardonable  of¬ 
fense. 

A  portion  of  his  congregation  had  emigrated  the 
year  before.  When  he  arrived  at  Boston  with  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  his  flock,  the  colony  was  in  the  ferment — 
the  Williams  controversy  was  going  on;  his  people 
were  wearied  with  the  turmoil.  John  Haynes,  who 
was  a  member  of  his  congregation  in  England,  and 
who  had  been  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  deter¬ 
mined,  with  others,  to  remove  to  Connecticut.  In  the 


166  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

spring,  a  company,  under  the  lead  of  Hooker  and 
Haynes,  set  out  from  the  vicinity  of  Boston  for  the 
pleasant  valley.  They  numbered  about  one  hundred 
persons,  some  of  whom  had  been  accustomed  to  the 
luxuries  of  life  in  England.  With  no  guide  but  a 
compass  they  entered  the  untrodden  wilderness ; 
toiled  on  foot  over  hills  and  valleys ;  waded  through 
swamps  and  forded  streams.  They  subsisted  prin¬ 
cipally  on  the  milk  of  the  kine  that  they  drove  before 
them,  and  which  browsed  on  the  tender  leaves  and 
grass.  They  moved  but  slowly.  Their  sick  they  car¬ 
ried  on  litters.  The  trustful  spirit  of  piety  and  faith 
was  present,  and  the  silence  of  the  forest  was  broken 
for  the  first  time  by  Christian  songs  of  praise.  The 
man  whose  eloquence  in  his  native  land  attracted 
crowds  of  the  educated  and  refined,  now,  in  the  wil¬ 
derness,  comforted  and  cherished  the  humble  exiles 
for  religion’s  sake.  The  first  of  July  brought  an  end 
to  their  laborious  journey.  The  greater  part  of  the 
company  remained  at  Hartford;  some  went  up  the 
river  and  founded  Springfield ;  some  went  down  and 
joined  those  at  Wethersfield. 

John  Winthrop,  the  younger,  who  had  been  sent 
to  England  on  business  for  the  colony,  returned  as 
agent  for  Lords  Say  and  Brook.  He  was  directed  to 
build  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut  river; 
it  was  named  Saybrooke. 

These  settlements  were  now  threatened  with  de¬ 
struction.  The  valley  of  the  river  and  the  region  ad¬ 
joining  were  more  densely  populated  with  Indians 
than  any  portion  of  New  England.  The  powerful 
Pequods,  the  most  warlike  tribe  in  the  country,  num¬ 
bered  almost  two  thousand  warriors,  and  ruled  over 
a  number  of  smaller  tribes ;  they  inhabited  the  south¬ 
eastern  part  of  Connecticut,  and  the  shore  of  Long 
Island  Sound  to  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut  river, 
and  west  almost  to  the  Hudson.  The  Mohegans,  who 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


167 


dwelt  in  the  north-eastern  part  of  Connecticut,  and 
the  Narragansets,  who  lived  around  Narraganset 
bay,  were  the  enemies  of  the  Pequods  and  the  friends 
of  the  English.  The  Pequods  were  jealous  of  the 
English,  not  merely  because  they  had  settled  near 
them,  but  because  they  were  friendly  to  their  ene¬ 
mies.  Th  ,e  Pequods  were  charged  with  murdering, 
some  yeai  $  before,  a  Virginia  trader,  named  Stone, 
with  his  c  rew,  on  the  Connecticut  river.  Stone  had 
the  reputation  of  being  intemperate  and  quarrel¬ 
some;  the  Pequods  said  that  he  had  attacked  them 
and  they  killed  him  in  self-defense.  Captain  Oldham, 
who  was  exploring  the  Connecticut,  was  murdered, 
with  his  crew,  by  the  Indians  living  on  Block  Island. 
Captain  John  Endicott  was  sent  to  punish  the  mur¬ 
derers.  Previous  to  this  the  Pequods  had  sent  chiefs 
to  Boston  to  make  an  alliance,  and  explain  the  diffi¬ 
culty  in  relation  to  the  Virginia  trader.  They  prom¬ 
ised  to  deliver  up — so  the  magistrates  understood 
them — the  two  men  who  had  killed  him.  Endicott 
was  ordered  to  call,  on  his  way  home  from  Block  Is¬ 
land,  at  the  Pequod  town,  and  demand  the  promised 
satisfaction.  The  Indians,  according  to  their  cus¬ 
tom,  offered  a  ransom  for  the  two  men  but  refused 
to  give  them  up  to  certain  death.  Endicott  had  no 
respect  for  their  customs;  he  must  have  blood  for 
blood.  Angry  at  their  refusal,  he  burned  two  of  their 
villages  and  destroyed  their  corn.  It  was  after  this 
that  the  Pequods  began  to  prowl  about  the  settle¬ 
ments,  and  pick  off  stragglers,  until  they  had,  during 
the  winter,  killed  more  than  thirty  persons. 

The  people  in  the  Connecticut  valley  were  in  great 
alarm ;  they  knew  not  at  what  moment  nor  at  what 
point  the  storm  would  burst.  They  called  upon 
Massachusetts  for  aid;  only  twenty  men  were  sent 
under  Captain  Underhill.  The  whole  community 
was  so  much  absorbed  in  discussing  theological 


168 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


questions  with  Mrs.  Hutchinson  that  every  other 
consideration  was  overlooked. 

Although  the  Pequods  were  more  warlike  and  more 
numerous  than  any  other  tribe,  they  were  not  willing 
to  enter  upon  the  war  single-handed.  They  sent  a 
deputation  to  Miantonomoh,  the  chief  of  the  Narra- 
gansets,  to  enlist  him  against  the  common  enemy. 
Governor  Vane  wrote  to  Eoger  Williams,  urging  him, 
if  possible,  to  prevent  the  alliance.  Williams  hasten¬ 
ed  to  visit  Miantonomoh ;  he  found  the  Pequod  chiefs 
already  there,  urging  their  ancient  enemy  to  join 
them  and  exterminate  the  white  intruders — the 
Narragansets  were  wavering.  At  the  risk  of  his  life, 
Williams  labored  for  three  days  to  prevent  these 
tribes  uniting  their  forces  against  the  colonists.  The 
disappointed  and  angry  Pequods  threatened  him  with 
death.  He  not  only  prevented  the  alliance,  but  ob¬ 
tained  the  promise  of  the  Narragansets  to  aid  the 
English.  Meantime,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  Boston 
to  warn  them  of  the  impending  danger. 

At  length  the  infant  settlements  of  Connecticut  in 
convention  at  Hartford  declared  war  against  the 
Pequods.  The  little  army  of  not  more  than  eighty 
men,  including  those  sent  from  Massachusetts,  as¬ 
sembled  at  Hartford:  the  pious  Hooker  exhorted 
them,  and  gave  the  staff  of  command  to  Captain 
John  Mason,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Nether¬ 
lands.  At  the  request  of  the  soldiers,  part  of  the 
night  preceding  the  day  they  were  to  march  was 
spent  in  prayer.  Stone,  one  of  their  ministers,  ac¬ 
companied  them  as  chaplain.  They  floated  down  the 
river,  and  sailed  around  the  coast  to  Narraganset 
bay,  intending  to  go  across  the  country,  and  attack 
the  Pequods  in  their  fort.  As  the  latter  had  a  very 
exalted  opinion  of  their  own  prowess,  they  supposed 
the  English  were  making  their  escape,  when  they  saw 
them  sailing  past  the  mouth  of  the  Pequod,  now  the 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


169 


Thames  river.  The  English  landed  at  a  harbor  in  the 
bay,  and  religiously  observed  the  Sabbath.  On  the 
following  day  they  repaired  to  Canonicus,  the  old 
Narraganset  chief,  but  his  nephew  Miantonomoh 
hesitated  to  join  them;  their  numbers  were  so  small, 
and  the  Pequods  so  numerous.  Two  hundred  war¬ 
riors,  however,  consented  to  accompany  them,  but 
as  rather  doubtful  friends — and  about  seventy  Mo- 
hegans  joined  them  under  their  chief  Uncas. 

Sassacus,  the  bold  chief  of  the  Pequods,  was  too 
confident  in  the  strength  of  his  two  forts,  and  in  the 
bravery  of  his  warriors  to  be  cautious.  His  main 
fort,  on  the  top  of  a  high  hill,  was  defended  by  posts 
driven  in  the  ground,  and  deemed  by  him  impreg¬ 
nable.  He  was  yet  to  experience  an  attack  from  the 
English.  In  the  night  Mason,  guided  by  an  Indian 
deserter,  approached  the  main  fort,  and  halted  with¬ 
in  hearing  of  the  triumphant  shouts  of  the  Pequods, 
as  they  exulted  over  his  supposed  flight.  Toward 
the  break  of  day  the  English  moved  to  the  attack, 
while  their  Indian  allies  took  a  position  to  surround 
the  fort.  The  coming  struggle  was  one  of  life  or 
death  to  all  that  was  dear  to  the  little  army :  if  they 
were  defeated,  all  hope  would  be  lost  for  their  fam¬ 
ilies  on  the  Connecticut.  The  barking  of  a  dog  awoke 
the  Indian  sentinel ;  he  rushed  into  the  fort  with  the 
cry,  “The  English!  the  English !”  In  a  moment 
more,  the  English  were  through  the  palisades,  and 
fighting  hand  to  hand  with  the  half  awakened  warri¬ 
ors.  Their  numbers  were  overwhelming.  “We  must 
burn  them,”  shouted  Mason,  as  he  applied  a  torch  to 
the  dry  reeds  which  covered  a  wig-wam — the  flames 
spread  with  great  rapidity.  All  was  in  confusion — 
as  the  despairing  warriors  vainly  endeavored  to  ex¬ 
tinguish  the  flames  they  became  targets  for  the  Eng¬ 
lish  marksmen.  The  Narragansets  and  Mohegans 
now  joined  in  the  conflict.  More  than  six  hundred  of 


170  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

the  Pequods  perished,  men,  women,  and  children  in 
one  common  ruin,  merciless  and  unrelenting:  only 
seven  escaped.  In  an  hour's  time  the  work  was 
done;  just  then  appeared  the  warriors,  three  hun¬ 
dred  strong,  from  the  other  fort.  They  came  forth 
expecting  victory.  When  they  perceived  the  ruin 
which  had  come  upon  their  friends,  they  raved  and 
stamped  the  ground  in  despair.  Mason  with  a  chosen 
band  held  them  in  check,  till  the  remainder  of  the 
army  had  embarked  on  the  boats,  which  had  come 
round  from  Narraganset  Bay.  Then  they  hastened 
home,  lest  there  should  be  a  sudden  attack  upon  the 
settlements. 

In  a  few  days  Captain  Stoughton  arrived  from 
Massachusetts  with  one  hundred  men.  The  spirit  of 
the  Pequods  was  broken;  they  fled  to  the  west,  and 
were  pursued  with  untiring  energy.  Their  villages 
were  burnt — their  cornfields  destroyed — their  wom¬ 
en  and  children  slain  without  mercy.  They  took 
refuge  in  a  swamp,  and  in  desperation  once  more 
made  a  stand:  again  they  were  overwhelmed  with 
great  slaughter.  Sassacus,  their  chief,  escaped  with 
a  few  followers,  and  made  his  way  to  the  Mohawks, 
where  he  was  afterward  basely  murdered  by  one  of 
his  own  subjects.  The  remainder,  old  and  young, 
surrendered  to  the  victors,  who  disposed  of  them: 
some  they  gave  as  captives  of  war  to  their  enemies, 
the  Narragansets  and  Mohegans ;  and  some  they  sent 
to  the  West  Indies  to  be  sold  as  slaves.  Their  terri¬ 
tory  was  declared  to  be  conquered,  and  their  name 
blotted  out.  They  were  the  foremost  in  that  mourn¬ 
ful  procession  in  which  the  Indian  race,  from  that 
day  to  this,  have  been  moving  on  toward  utter  ex¬ 
termination.  This  terrible  example  of  the  white 
man's  power  sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through  the  other 
tribes ;  and  for  more  than  forty  years,  they  dared  not 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


171 


raise  an  arm  in  defense  of  the  graves  of  their  fath¬ 
ers. 

The  year  following,  John  Davenport,  a  celebrated 
clergyman  of  London,  arrived  at  Boston — with  him 
came  his  friend  Theophilus  Eaton,  a  rich  merchant. 
They  and  their  associates  had  been  exiled.  They 
were  cordially  welcomed  in  Massachusetts,  and  ur¬ 
gently  pressed  to  remain  in  mat  colony.  They  pre¬ 
ferred  to  go  into  the  wilderness  rather  than  dwell 
in  the  midst  of  so  much  controversy.  Rumor  had 
told  of  the  fine  region  found  to  the  west  by  the  pur¬ 
suers  of  the  Pequods.  Eaton,  with  a  few  men,  after 
exploring  the  coast  of  the  Sound,  spent  the  following 
winter  at  a  desirable  place  in  that  region.  As  soon  as 
spring  opened,  the  company  sailed  from  Boston;  in 
due  time  they  arrived  at  the  place  where  Eaton  had 
spent  the  winter;  there,  under  a  large  tree,  on  the 
Sabbath  after  their  arrival,  Davenport  preached  his 
first  sermon  in  the  wilderness.  A  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  for  direction  was  observed,  and  then  they 
formed  a  government,  pledging  themselves  “to  be 
governed  in  all  things  by  the  rules  which  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  held  forth  to  them.”  Such  was  the  settlement 
of  New  Haven,  and  thus  was  it  to  be  governed.  They 
purchased  from  the  Indians  the  right  to  the  land — 
Eaton  was  elected  governor;  and  to  the  end  of  his 
life,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  he  was  annually 
chosen  to  that  office. 

After  the  war  with  the  Pequods  was  ended,  the 
people  of  the  several  settlements  on  the  Connecticut 
held  a  convention  at  Hartford,  and  adopted  a  consti¬ 
tution  and  form  of  government.  The  constitution 
was  framed  on  liberal  principles.  They  agreed  to 
“maintain  the  purity  of  the  gospel,”  and  in  civil  af¬ 
fairs  to  be  governed  by  the  laws  under  their  constitu¬ 
tion.  No  jurisdiction  was  admitted  to  belong  to  the 
King  of  England.  Every  one  who  took  the  oath  of 


172 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


allegiance  to  the  commonwealth  was  entitled  to  vote. 
The  governor  and  other  officers  were  to  be  chosen 
annually  by  ballot.  The  number  of  their  representa¬ 
tives  to  the  General  Assembly  was  to  be  apportioned 
to  the  towns,  according  to  the  number  of  inhabitants. 
For  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  this  constitution  re¬ 
mained  in  force. 

Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges  and  John  Mason  obtained, 
from  their  associates  of  the  Council  of  Plymouth,  a 
grant  of  land,  lying  partly  in  New  Hampshire  and 
partly  in  Maine.  This  was  named  Laconia.  A  small 
number  of  emigrants  were  sent  over,  who  settled  at 
Portsmouth,  Dover  and  a  few  other  places  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Piscataqua.  Wheelwright,  when  ban¬ 
ished  from  Massachusetts,  settled  with  his  fellow- 
exiles  at  Exeter.  These  settlements  progressed  very 
slowly.  Only  a  few  trading  houses  were  scattered 
along  the  coast,  and  for  many  years  they  took  no 
more  permanent  form.  These  settlers  were  not  all 
Puritans,  and  were  but  little  united  among  them¬ 
selves;  yet,  they  applied  and  were  annexed  to  the 
colony  of  Massachusetts.  The  General  Court  agreed 
not  to  insist  that  the  freemen  and  deputies  should 
be  church  members. 

In  all  their  troubles  the  colonists  of  New  England 
had  never  appealed  to  the  mother  country.  They  felt 
under  no  obligation  to  her;  she  had  driven  them 
forth  with  a  harsh  hand  to  take  care  of  themselves, 
or  to  perish  in  the  wilderness.  A  spirit  of  independ¬ 
ence  pervaded  their  minds.  They  had  the  energy  and 
industry  to  sustain  themselves,  and  the  courage  to 
act  in  every  emergency. 

Rumors  had  reached  them  that  unprincipled  men 
were  planning  to  take  away  their  charter ;  that  Arch¬ 
bishop  Laud  was  meditating  to  establish  over  them 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


173 


the  rule  of  the  Church  of  England ;  that  a  governor- 
general  had  been  appointed,  and  was  on  his  way. 

They  would  not  recognize  the  right  of  the  king 
even  to  investigate  by  what  authority  they  held  their 
charter,  lest  it  might  be  inferred  that  they  were  in 
any  respect  dependent  upon  his  will.  For  the  same 
reason,  when  the  Long  Parliament  professed  to  be 
their  friends,  they  respectfully  declined  any  favors. 
When  they  feared  an  attempt  to  place  over  them  a 
royal  governor,  and  to  change  their  colony  into  a 
royal  province,  they  determined  to  defend  their  lib¬ 
erties,  and  poor  as  they  were,  raised  six  hundred 
pounds  for  fortifications. 

Twenty  thousand  emigrants  were  in  New  England, 
when  the  Puritans  of  the  mother  country,  galled  be- 
yond  endurance  by  the  outrages  committed  on  their 
rights  and  persons,  commenced  that  fearful  struggle, 
which,  in  its  throes,  overturned  the  throne,  and 
brought  the  tyrannical  Charles  I.  to  the  scaffold,  and 
established  the  Commonwealth  under  Cromwell. 
During  this  period  emigration  almost  entirely  ceased. 
Many  hastened  home  to  England  to  engage  in  the 
conflict,  among  whom  were  the  Rev.  Hugh  Peters 
and  Harry  Vane.  They  both  perished  on  the  scaf¬ 
fold  after  the  Restoration. 

The  colonists,  though  unmolested  by  the  home 
government,  were  still  surrounded  with  dangers. 
They  were  in  the  midst  of  hostile  Indians ;  the  French 
threatened  them  in  the  Northeast  and  the  Dutch 
in  the  West.  For  mutual  safety  and  interest,  Plym¬ 
outh,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  New  Haven, 
joined  themselves  together,  under  the  title  of  “The 
United  Colonies  of  New  England.”  Each  was  to  be 
perfectly  free  in  the  management  of  its  own  affairs ; 
while  those  which  properly  belonged  to  the  whole 
confederacy  were  to  be  intrusted  to  commissioners — 
two  from  each  colony.  Church-membership  was  the 


174 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


only  qualification  required  of  these  commissioners. 
The  expenses  of  the  government  were  to  be  assessed 
according  to  the  number  of  inhabitants.  The  purity 
of  the  gospel  was  also  to  be  preserved.  This  con¬ 
federacy,  the  germ  of  “The  United  States  of  Amer¬ 
ica, lasted  forty  years.  Rhode  Island  was  not  per¬ 
mitted  to  joint  it  because  she  would  not  acknowledge 
the  jurisdiction  of  Plymouth.  The  two  settlements 
on  Narraganset  bay  now  determined  to  apply  for  an 
independent  charter.  When,  for  this  purpose,  Roger 
Williams  arrived  in  England,  he  found  the  country 
engaged  in  civil  war;  the  Puritans  and  Parliament 
on  the  one  side  and  Charles  I.  on  the  other.  Williams 
applied  to  his  friend  Harry  Vane,  and  through  his 
influence  obtained  from  the  Parliament  a  charter, 
under  the  title  of  “The  Providence  Plantations.” 
Roger  Williams  afterwards  became  a  Baptist,  and 
founded  the  first  church  of  that  denomination  in  the 
United  States. 

A  very  great  number  of  men  of  education,  minis¬ 
ters  and  laymen,  emigrated  to  New  England.  There 
were  of  ministers  alone  more  than  eighty,  some  of 
whom  were  equal  to  any  of  their  profession  in  their 
native  land.  There  was  an  unusual  amount  of  gen¬ 
eral  intelligence  among  all  classes  of  the  community. 
The  Bible  to  them  was  as  familiar  as  household 
words.  In  truth,  it  was  the  intelligent  alone  who 
could  appreciate  the  blessings  for  which  they  exiled 
themselves.  They  wished  to  secure  for  their  children 
the  benefits  of  education ;  and  as  soon  as  possible  an 
effort  was  made  to  found  a  high  school  and  ulti¬ 
mately  a  college.  Funds,  with  some  books,  were  ob¬ 
tained.  The  place  selected  was  Newtown,  but  as 
many  of  the  men  had  been  educated  at  Cambridge 
University,  England,  the  name  was  changed  to 
Cambridge.  The  Rev.  John  Harvard  left  the  infant 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


175 


institution  half  his  fortune  and  his  library.  Grati¬ 
tude  has  embalmed  his  memory  in  its  name. 

The  next  year  a  printing-press,  the  gift  of  some 
friends  in  Holland,  was  established*  Its  first  work 
was  to  print  a  metrical  version  of  the  Psalms,  which 
continued  for  a  long  time  to  be  used  in  the  worship 
of  the  churches  in  New  England.  The  following  pre¬ 
amble  explains  the  next  law  on  the  subject  of  educa¬ 
tion: — “It  being  a  chief  project  of  that  old  deluder 
Satan  to  keep  men  from  the  knowledge  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures,”  it  was  determined  that  every  child,  rich  and 
poor  alike,  should  have  the  privilege  of  learning  to 
read  its  own  language.  It  was  enacted  that  every 
town  or  district  having  fifty  householders  should 
have  a  common  school ;  and  that  every  town  or  dis¬ 
trict,  having  one  hundred  families,  should  have  a 
grammar  school,  taught  by  teachers  competent  to 
prepare  youth  for  the  college.  All  the  New  England 
colonies,  with  the  exception  of  Rhode  Island,  adopted 
the  system  of  common  schools. 

This  event  deserves  more  than  a  mere  record.  It 
was  the  first  instance  in  Christendom,  in  which  a 
civil  government  took  measures  to  confer  upon  its 
youth  the  blessings  of  education.  There  had  been, 
indeed,  parish  schools  connected  with  individual 
churches,  and  foundations  for  universities,  but  never 
before  was  embodied  in  practice  a  principle  so  com¬ 
prehensive  in  its  nature  and  so  fruitful  in  good  re¬ 
sults,  as  that  of  training  a  nation  of  intelligent  people 
by  educating  all  its  youth. 

There  had  arisen  among  the  Puritans  in  England 
a  new  sect,  called  in  derision  Quakers.  An  unfavor¬ 
able  report  of  their  doctrines  and  doings  had  reached 
Massachusetts ;  they  were  represented  as  denouncing 
all  forms  of  worship  and  denying  all  civil  authority. 
At  length  two  women  of  the  dreaded  sect  appeared : 
they  were  arrested  and  detained  until  their  books 


176 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


could  be  examined,  and  the  question  was  raised 
whether  they  themselves  were  not  witches.  Their 
books  were  burnt  by  the  hangman,  and  they  sent 
back  to  England.  Barbarous  laws  were  made  to 
deter  Quakers  from  coming  to  the  colony;  but  they 
came,  and  were  inhumanly  treated  and  sent  back. 
Then  a  law  was  passed  that  if  a  Quaker,  after  being 
banished,  returned,  he  should  be  put  to  death.  This 
the  magistrates  fondly  hoped  would  be  effectual. 
We  may  judge  their  surprise  when  some  of  those 
who  had  been  banished  returned.  They  came  to  call 
the  magistrates  to  repentance  for  their  persecuting 
spirit.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Must  the  law  be  en¬ 
forced  or  repealed  ?  It  had  been  passed  by  only  one 
majority.  The  vote  was  taken  again;  one  majority 
decided  that  the  law  must  be  obeyed.  Four  of  the 
Quakers  suffered  the  penalty  of  death.  Severity  did 
not  accomplish  the  end  in  view;  their  brethren 
flocked  to  Massachusetts  as  if  courting  the  honor  of 
martyrdom.  From  the  first  the  people  had  been  op¬ 
posed  to  the  cruel  law,  and  at  their  instance  it  was 
repealed.  There  was  little  apology  for  these  harsh 
proceedings;  the  magistrates  could  only  say  they 
acted  in  self-defense,  in  excluding  those  who  taught 
doctrines  that  would  interfere  with  the  affairs  of 
the  colony.  As  soon  as  persecution  ceased,  the 
Quakers  became  quiet  citizens;  many  of  them  de¬ 
voted  themselves  to  teaching  the  Indians  under  the 
direction  of  the  missionary  Eliot. 

The  Puritans  had  long  desired  to  carry  the  gospel 
to  the  Indians.  John  Eliot,  the  devout  and  benevo¬ 
lent  pastor  of  the  church  in  Roxbury,  in  addition  to 
his  pastoral  labors,  gave  them  regular  instruction 
in  Christianity.  He  learned  their  language  that  he 
might  preach  to  them;  he  translated  the  Bible,  and 
taught  them  to  read  in  their  own  tongue  its  precious 
truths.  This  translation,  which  cost  him  years  of 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


177 


labor,  is  now  valued  only  as  a  literary  curiosity ;  it  is 
a  sealed  book,  no  living  man  can  read  it.  The  lan¬ 
guage  has  passed  away  with  the  people  who  spoke  it. 

This  kind  instructor  induced  them  to  cease  from 
roving,  and  to  settle  in  villages ;  he  taught  the  men 
to  cultivate  the  soil,  and  the  women  to  spin  and 
weave  cloth,  to  supply  their  wants.  He  mingled  with 
them  as  a  brother ;  and  though  he  met  with  much  op¬ 
position  from  their  priests  and  chiefs,  he  led  many 
of  them  in  the  right  path.  His  disciples  loved  him ; 
his  gentleness  and  goodness  won  their  hearts. 

As  he  lived,  so  he  died,  laboring  for  the  good  of 
others.  In  his  last  days,  when  borne  down  by  years 
and  infirmities,  he  said,  “My  memory,  my  utterance 
fails  me,  but  I  thank  God  my  charity  holds  out  still.” 
Even  up  to  the  day  of  his  death,  which  took  place 
when  he  was  eighty-six  years  of  age,  he  continued  to 
teach  some  poor  negroes  and  a  little  blind  boy.  To 
Minister  Walton,  who  came  to  see  him,  he  said, 
“Brother,  you  are  welcome,  but  retire  to  your  study, 
and  pray  that  I  may  be  gone.”  Soon  after,  without 
a  fear  or  a  pang,  the  spirit  of  this  good  “Apostle” 
passed  away;  his  last  words  were  “Welcome  joy!” 

Eliot  was  not  alone  in  his  labors.  The  young,  the 
winning,  the  pious  Mayhew,  an  accomplished  scholar, 
thought  it  a  privilege  to  toil  for  the  souls  of  the  poor 
Indians  who  lived  upon  the  islands  in  and  around 
Massachusetts  bay.  He  took  passage  for  England 
to  excite  there  an  interest  in  his  mission.  He  was 
never  heard  of  more ;  the  ship  in  which  he  sailed  went 
down  in  unknown  waters.  His  father,  although  at 
this  time  seventy  years  of  age,  was  moved  to  take  his 
place  as  a  teacher  of  the  Indians.  There,  for  twenty- 
two  years,  he  labored  with  the  happiest  results,  till 
death  withdrew  him  from  the  work. 

Let  us  glance  at  the  inner  life  of  these  colonists 
during  the  first  generation  or  two  after  their  settle- 


178 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ment  in  the  wilderness.  In  these  earlier  days  the 
magistrates  had  a  sort  of  patriarchal  authority  over 
the  community,  somewhat  as  a  parent  over  his  own 
household.  And  as  the  inhabitants  were  then  com¬ 
paratively  few  in  number,  and  were  perhaps  known 
individually  to  the  respective  magistrates  in  their 
own  vicinity,  the  influence  of  the  latter  was  more 
directly  exercised  than  when  the  population  had 
largely  increased.  The  children  received  instruction 
in  Scripture  lessons,  and  in  the  catechism,  as  well  as 
in  the  very  important  virtue — obedience  to  parents. 
In  all  such  matters  the  magistrates  and  ministers 
took  a  special  interest,  and  thus  aided  the  parents  in 
training  the  young.  Nor  is  it  strange,  under  these 
considerations,  that  the  magistrates  censured  the 
wearing  of  costly  apparel,  and  the  following  of  vain 
new  fashions,  because  the  people  were  poor  and  did 
wrong,  they  thought,  to  waste  their  means  on  dress 
unnecessarily  expensive,  and  they  exercised  their 
prerogative  as  a  parent  who  reproves  the  extrav- 
gance  of  his  children.  Their  descendants  sometimes 
smile  at  what  they  term  the  crude  notions  of  these 
Puritan  fathers ;  but  do  these  sons  and  daughters  re¬ 
flect  how  they  themselves  acquired  their  conscious¬ 
ness  of  their  own  superiority  over  their  ancestors 
who  lived  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago  ?  Their 
own  attainments  unquestionably  have  been  the  result 
of  that  severe  training  continued  from  generation  to 
generation ;  each  succeeding  one  modified  and  refined 
by  the  experience,  the  education,  and  correct  moral 
influence  of  the  one  preceding ;  so  that  each  genera¬ 
tion  thus  profiting,  unconsciously  rose  to  a  still  high¬ 
er  plane  of  Christianized  civilization.  This  result  is 
in  accordance  with  the  God-implanted  principle  in 
the  hearts  of  parents,  to  desire  that  their  children 
should  have  better  advantages  than  they  themselves 
enjoyed  in  their  own  youth.  The  Puritans  were  far 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


179 


in  advance  of  their  contemporaries  in  the  training  of 
their  children  and  households  in  the  sterling  virtues 
of  honor  and  integrity;  these  combined  influences 
have  produced,  in  the  course  of  five  or  six  genera¬ 
tions,  the  most  remarkable  progress  known  to  his¬ 
tory. 

The  Puritans  felt  the  vast  importance  of  sacred 
things,  and  were  strenuous  in  carrying  out  their 
principles.  They  were  careful  to  leave  off  labor  at 
three  o'clock  on  Saturday  afternoon  to  prepare  for 
the  Sabbath.  They  went  to  church,  heard  sermons 
twice  a  day,  each  two  hours  long,  heard  prayers,  and 
sang  psalms  of  proportionate  length,  and  enjoyed  it. 
The  tithing-man  passed  round  with  his  staff  of  of¬ 
fice,  on  the  one  end  of  which  was  a  brass  ball,  on  the 
other  a  tuft  of  feathers :  with  the  former  he  tapped 
the  heads  of  the  men  who  fell  asleep  during  the  ser¬ 
mon;  with  the  latter  he  gently  tickled  the  faces  of 
the  drowsy  women. 

Thee  were  not  so  democratic  as  to  make  no  dis¬ 
tinction  in  social  life.*  The  term  gentleman  was  sel¬ 
dom  used;  the  well-born  and  the  well-bred  by  cour¬ 
tesy  received  the  title  of  Mr.,  while  the  common  folk 
were  dignified  with  that  of  Goodman  or  Goody. 
These  titles  were  sometimes  taken  away  by  the  court 
as  a  punishment.  It  is  recorded  that  Mr.  Josias 
Plaistow  robbed  an  Indian  of  corn,  for  which  he  was 
sentenced  to  lose  his  title  of  Mr.,  and  henceforth  to 
be  known  only  as  Josias.  Their  luxuries  were  few 
indeed,  but  the  women  prized  none  more  highly  than 
that  of  tea.  In  those  days  it  was  customary  for  them 
to  carry  their  own  china  cup  and  saucer  and  spoon 
to  visiting  parties.  To  be  the  possessor  of  a  “tea 
equipage  of  silver”  was  deemed  a  worldly  desire,  to 
be  sure,  but  not  of  an  objectionable  kind;  it  was  com¬ 
mendable. 


*  Elliott’s  History  of  New  England. 


180 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


Though  there  has  been  associated  with  these  col¬ 
onists  a  certain  austere  manner,  chilling  the  heart 
of  cheerfulness,  yet  let  it  not  be  forgotten  they  had 
their  innocent  pleasure  parties,  especially  when  the 
neighbors  joined  to  aid  each  other  in  harvest  times 
or  in  house-raisings.  The  farmers  and  their  families 
were  accustomed  to  go  in  groups  at  least  once  a  year, 
to  spend  a  season  at  the  seashore  and  supply  them¬ 
selves  with  salt  and  fish.  They  usually  went  at  the 
close  of  harvest,  when  the  weather  was  suitable  for 
camping  out.  If  they  rejected  the  festival  of  Christ¬ 
mas  as  a  relic  of  “Popery,”  they  instituted  Thanks¬ 
giving,  and  enjoyed  it  with  as  much  relish  as  the 
entire  nation  does  today. 

Within  thirty  years  great  changes  had  taken  place 
in  the  colony.  The  people  were  prosperous ;  industry 
and  self-denial  had  wrought  wonders. 

Says  an  enthusiastic  chronicler  of  the  times:* 
“The  Lord  hath  been  pleased  to  turn  all  the  wig¬ 
wams,  huts,  and  hovels  the  English  dwelt  in  at  their 
first  coming,  into  orderly,  fair,  and  well-built  houses, 
well  furnished,  many  of  them,  with  orchards  filled 
with  goodly  fruit-trees  and  garden  flowers.”  The 
people  had  numerous  cattle  and  herds  of  sheep  and 
swine,  and  plenty  of  poultry ;  their  fields  produced  an 
abundance  of  wheat,  rye,  oats,  barley,  and  Indian 
corn ;  and  they  could  furnish  fish,  lumber,  and  many 
commodities  for  export.  “This  poor  wilderness  hath 
equalized  England  in  food,  and  goes  beyond  it  for  the 
plenty  of  wine,  and  apples,  pears,  quince-tarts,  in¬ 
stead  of  their  former  pumpkin  pies.”  “Good  white 
and  wheaten  bread  is  no  dainty ;  the  poorest  person  in 
the  country  hath  a  house  and  land  of  his  own,  and 
bread  of  his  own  growing — if  not  some  cattle.” 

*  Johnson’s  “Wonder-working  Providence  of  Zion’s  Sav¬ 
iour  in  New  England,” — as  quoted  by  Hildreth. 


COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY 


181 


These  things  were  not  obtained  without  labor.  Of 
the  thirty-two  trades  carried  on,  the  most  successful 
were  those  of  coopers,  tanners,  shoemakers,  and 
shipbuilders.  “Many  fair  ships  and  lesser  vessels, 
barques,  and  ketches  were  built.”  Thus  the  chron¬ 
icler  anticipates  the  growth  of  Boston,  which,  “of 
a  poor  country  village,  is  become  like  unto  a  small 
city;  its  buildings  beautiful  and  large — some  fairly 
set  out  with  brick,  tile,  stone,  and  slate,  orderly 
placed,  with  comely  streets,  whose  continual  enlarge¬ 
ments  presageth  some  sumptuous  city.”  They  had 
their  soldiers,  too,  and  a  “very  gallant  horse-troop,” 
each  one  of  which  had  by  him  “powder,  bullets,  and 
match.”  Their  enemies  were  graciously  warned  that 
these  soldiers  “were  all  experienced  in  the  deliver¬ 
ances  of  the  Lord  from  the  mouth  of  the  lion  and 
the  paw  of  the  bear.” 


I 


. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

1619—1716 

VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


Slavery. — Massacre  by  the  Indians. — Lord  Baltimore. — The 
Settlement  of  Maryland. — Clayborne’s  Rebellion. — The 
Colony  Prosperous. — Toleration — Berkeley  Governor  of 
Virginia;  Trade  Crippled;  Intolerance — Indian  War — 
State  of  Society — Aristocratic  Assembly — Complains  of 
Berkeley — War  with  the  Susquehannahs — Nathaniel  Ba¬ 
con  —  Disturbances  —  Obnoxious  Assembly  Dissolved  — 
Evils  Corrected — Bacon  Goes  Against  the  Indians — Insin¬ 
cerity  of  Bacon — Tyranny  of  Berkeley — Aristocratic  As¬ 
sembly;  Its  Illiberal  Acts — Culpepper  Governor — A  Series 
of  Extortions — Deplorable  State  of  the  Colony — Diffi¬ 
culties  in  Maryland. 

v  * 

In  August  of  this  year  slavery  was  introduced  into 
the  colonies.  A  Dutch  ship  entered  James  river, 
having  on  board  twenty  negroes  for  sale  as  slaves. 
Although  the  Dutch  continued  occasionally  to  bring 
Africans  to  the  Virginia  market,  the  number  of 
slaves  increased  but  slowly  for  a  third  of  a  century. 
The  trade  was  discouraged,  but  not  absolutely  forbid¬ 
den. 

The  Indians  were  scattered  throughout  the  coun¬ 
try,  in  little  villages,  along  the  streams  and  in  the 
most  fertile  districts.  The  planters,  who  wanted 
these  places  for  their  tobacco,  took  possession  of 
them.  Powhatan,  the  friend  of  the  English,  was 
dead;  his  brother  and  successor,  Opechancanough, 
though  professing  friendship,  was  their  enemy:  his 
proud  spirit  burned  within  him  at  the  wrongs  of  his 
people.  Not  daring  the  meet  the  English  in  open  con¬ 
flict,  he  planned  secretly  a  terrible  revenge;  even 
their  entire  extermination.  At  this  time  the  number 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


183 


of  colonists  was  about  four  thousand;  that  of  the 
Indians  within  sixty  or  a  hundred  miles  of  James¬ 
town,  about  five  thousand.  At  noon  on  a  certain  day, 
the  Indians  were  to  fall  upon  every  settlement,  and 
murder  all  the  whites.  Meanwhile,  Opechancanough 
was  warmer  than  ever  in  his  professions;  “sooner 
would  the  skies  fall,”  said  he,  “than  that  my  friend¬ 
ship  for  the  English  should  cease.”  On  the  morning 
of  the  intended  massacre,  the  Indians  were  in  the 
houses  and  at  the  tables  of  the  planters,  and  mani¬ 
fested  more  than  their  usual  good  will.  On  that 
morning,  a  converted  Indian,  named  Chauco,  brought 
the  news  of  the  plot  to  Jamestown.  He  had  learned 
of  it  only  the  night  before.  Messengers  were  sent  in 
every  direction  to  warn  the  people,  but  it  was  too  late 
to  reach  the  distant  settlements.  Throughout  the 
extent  of  one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  the  merciless 
savages  attacked  the  settlers  at  the  same  moment; 
and  on  the  twenty-second  of  March,  there  perished 
within  one  hour,  three  hundred  and  forty-seven  per¬ 
sons,  men,  women  and  children.  Some  of  the  settle¬ 
ments,  though  taken  by  surprise,  repulsed  their  as¬ 
sailants,  yet  the  effect  was  terrible.  Of  eighty  plan¬ 
tations,  all  but  eight  were  laid  waste,  and  the  people 
hastened  for  safety  to  Jamestown.  Desolation 
reigned  over  the  whole  colony;  death  had  entered 
almost  every  family,  and  now  famine  and  sickness 
prevailed.  Within  three  months  the  four  thousand 
colonists  were  reduced  to  twenty-five  hundred;  the 
decrease  continued,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  not 
more  than  two  thousand  remained  of  the  nine  thou¬ 
sand  who  had  emigrated  to  Virginia.  Their  misfor¬ 
tunes  excited  much  feeling  in  England.  Assistance 
was  sent;  the  city  of  London  did  much  to  relieve 
their  pressing  wants,  and  private  individuals  were 
not  backward  in  sending  aid.  Even  King  James’ 
sympathies  were  enlisted;  he  had  never  aided  the 


184 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


colonists,  but  he  now  gave  them  some  old  muskets 
that  had  been  thrown  aside  as  useless. 

The  planters  did  not  fear  the  Indians  in  open  con¬ 
flict;  but  it  was  necessary  to  guard  against  their 
secret  attacks.  In  their  turn,  they  formed  plans  to 
exterminate  the  savages,  or  drive  them  far  back  into 
the  wilderness.  Expeditions  for  this  purpose  were 
sent  against  them  from  time  to  time,  during  the 
space  of  ten  years.  In  time,  industry  began  to  re¬ 
vive,  and  signs  of  prosperity  once  more  were  seen. 

The  London  Company  was  now  bankrupt ;  endless 
discussions  arose  among  the  numerous  stockholders. 
They  became  divided  into  two  political  parties, — one 
favored  the  king's  prerogative ;  the  other,  the  liberty 
of  the  colonists.  These  questions  were  freely  dis¬ 
cussed  at  the  meetings  of  the  company,  greatly  to 
the  annoyance  of  James.  When  he  found  it  impos¬ 
sible  to  prevent  the  stockholders  from  expressing 
their  opinions,  he  arbitrarily  took  away  the  charter 
of  the  company.  To  console  the  colonists,  he  an¬ 
nounced  that  he  had  taken  them  under  his  own  spe¬ 
cial  protection.  He  began  to  frame  laws  for  their 
government — laws  no  doubt  in  accordance  with  his 
peculiar  notions  of  kingcraft ;  but  his  labors  and  life 
were  suddenly  ended. 

Charles  I.,  his  son  and  successor,  appeared  to  favor 
the  colony:  it  conformed  to  the  church  of  England, 
and  he  did  not  suspect  its  politics.  More  than  this, 
he  wished  to  ingratiate  himself  with  the  colonists, 
for  he  desired  the  monopoly  of  their  tobacco  trade. 
He  even  went  so  far  as  to  recognize  the  House  of 
Burgesses  as  a  legislative  body,  and  requested  them 
to  pass  a  law  by  which  he  alone  could  purchase  the 
tobacco  of  the  colony.  The  House,  in  a  dignified  and 
respectful  manner,  refused  to  comply  with  the  royal 
request,  as  it  would  be  injurious  to  their  trade. 
After  the  death  of  the  liberal  and  high-minded 


V 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND  185 

Yeardley,  the  council  elected  Francis  West  governor. 
Charles,  piqued  at  this  independence,  appointed  Sir 
John  Harvey.  Harvey  had  been  a  member  of  the 
colonial  council,  where  he  was  the  willing  instrument 
of  a  faction  that  had  almost  ruined  the  prospects  of 
the  colony.  The  enemy  of  the  rights  of  the  people, 
he  was  exceedingly  unpopular;  he  now  took  special 
care  of  his  own  interests  and  those  of  his  friends,  by 
appointing  them  alone  to  office. 

The  histories  of  Virginia  and  Maryland  are  inti¬ 
mately  connected.  As  has  been  mentioned,  Captain 
Smith  was  the  first  to  explore  the  Chesapeake;  the 
trade  with  the  Indians  along  its  shores  had  now  be¬ 
come  profitable.  Though  the  Potomac  river  was  the 
northern  boundary  of  Virginia,  the  colonists  had  ex¬ 
tended  their  trade  and  influence  with  the  Indians  on 
both  sides,  up  to  the  head  of  the  bay.  William  Clay- 
borne,  a  bold  and  restless  spirit,  a  surveyor  of  land 
by  profession,  was  employed  by  the  Governor  of  Vir¬ 
ginia  to  explore  the  sources  of  the  Chesapeake.  A 
company  was  formed  in  England  for  the  purpose  of 
trading  with  the  Indians,  who  lived  on  both  sides  of 
the  bay.  Clayborne,  the  agent  of  the  company,  ob¬ 
tained  a  license  to  trade,  and  established  two  sta¬ 
tions,  one  on  Kent  Island,  opposite  Annapolis,  and 
one  at  the  mouth  of  the  Susquehannah. 

During  the  turmoil  of  religious  parties  and  perse¬ 
cutions  in  England,  Sir  George  Calvert,  afterward 
Lord  Baltimore,  left  the  Protestant  church,  resigned 
his  office  as  Secretary  of  State,  and  professed  him¬ 
self  a  Roman  Catholic.  This  did  not  affect  his  stand¬ 
ing  with  James  or  his  son  Charles.  Calvert  mani¬ 
fested  a  strong  interest  in  the  cause  of  colonization. 
He  wished  to  found  a  colony  to  which  Catholics  might 
flee  to  avoid  persecution.  He  first  obtained  permis¬ 
sion  to  found  a  settlement  on  the  cold  and  barren 
shores  of  Newfoundland;  that  enterprise  was  soon 


186 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


abandoned.  He  turned  to  Virginia,  a  clime  more 
genial ;  there  he  was  met  by  the  oaths  of  supremacy 
and  allegiance,  to  which,  as  a  good  Catholic,  Lord 
Baltimore  could  not  subscribe ;  Virginia  could  never 
be  a  peaceful  asylum  for  those  of  his  faith.  The 
region  north  of  it  attracted  his  attention,  and  he  ap¬ 
plied  to  King  Charles  for  a  portion  of  that  territory. 

Charles  gave  him  a  grant  of  land,  most  of  which 
is  now  included  in  the  State  of  Maryland;  it  was 
named  after  Henrietta  Maria,  the  wife  of  the  king. 
As  a  proprietary  Lord  Baltimore  deserves  all  praise 
for  his  liberality.  The  colonists  were  to  have  a  voice 
in  making  their  own  laws ;  they  were  not  to  be  taxed 
without  their  own  consent.  He  was  bold  to  repudiate 
intolerance,  and  politic  to  adopt  a  form  of  govern¬ 
ment  which  alone  could  insure  success.  He  designed 
his  colony  to  be  an  asylum  for  the  Catholic,  but  the 
Protestant  was  invited  to  share  it.  Just  as  the 
charter  was  about  to  be  issued  he  died.  To  his  son 
Cecil,  under  the  same  title,  the  charter  was  contin¬ 
ued  ;  to  him  belongs  the  honor  of  carrying  into  effect 
the  intentions  of  his  father. 

He  deputed  his  brother,  Leonard,  to  take  charge 
of  the  emigrants,  who,  to  the  number  of  two  hun¬ 
dred,  after  a  protracted  voyage,  arrived  safely  on  the 
Chesapeake.  A  tribe  of  Indians  residing  on  the  St. 
Mary’s,  a  branch  of  the  Potomac,  were  about  to  re¬ 
move  on  account  of  their  enemies  the  Susquehan- 
nahs ;  they  sold  to  the  infant  colony  their  cultivated 
land  and  their  tillage.  The  Indian  women  taught  the 
strangers’  wives  to  make  bread  of  maize;  and  soon 
the  emigrants  had  corn-fields  and  gardens,  and  ob¬ 
tained  abundance  of  game  in  the  forest.  A  few  days 
after  their  arrival,  Governor  Harvey,  of  Virginia, 
paid  them  a  friendly  visit;  it  was  the  desire  of 
Charles  that  they  should  be  welcomed  by  the  sister 
colony.  Friendly  relations  were  established  with  the 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


187 


neighboring  Indians;  the  colonists  for  a  time  ob¬ 
tained  their  necessary  provisions  from  Virginia,  but 
as  they  were  industrious,  the  fruitful  earth  soon  re¬ 
paid  their  labor.  At  the  commencement  of  the  sec¬ 
ond  year,  the  freemen  of  the  colony  held  their  first 
legislative  Assembly. 

Claybome  was  the  evil  genius  of  Maryland.  His 
license  to  trade  with  the  Indians  was  made  void  by 
Lord  Baltimore’s  charter.  He  attempted  to  excite  a 
rebellion,  but  was  overpowered  and  compelled  to  flee 
to  Virginia.  The  Governor  of  Maryland  demanded 
him  as  a  fugitive  from  justice;  to  evade  the  demand 
Harvey  sent  him  to  England  to  be  tried.  This  of¬ 
fended  the  people  of  Virginia,  who  sympathized  with 
Clayborne;  to  avenge  him,  they  impeached  Harvey 
himself,  “and  thrust  him  out  of  his  government.” 
The  Assembly  appointed  commissioners  to  prosecute 
the  charges  against  him  in  England.  The  commis¬ 
sioners  met  with  no  favor  from  the  king ;  and  soon, 
under  a  new  appointment,  the  unpopular  Harvey 
came  back  as  governor. 

Meanwhile  peace  and  plenty  continued  to  be  the 
lot  of  Maryland.  Every  year  the  rights  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  were  better  understood ;  they  acknowledged  their 
allegiance  to  England,  and  respected  the  rights  of 
Lord  Baltimore.  Their  lands  produced  an  abundance 
of  tobacco,  and  commerce  began  to  prosper.  Efforts 
were  now  made  to  convert  some  of  the  neighboring 
Indians  to  Christianity.  The  priests  established  four 
stations  among  them,  and  not  without  effect.  One 
chief,  Tayac,  with  his  wife,  was  baptized,  he  taking 
the  name  of  Charles  and  she  that  of  Mary.  Soon 
after  one  hundred  and  thirty  other  converts  received 
baptism,  some  of  whom  sent  their  children  to  receive 
a  Christian  education  under  the  care  of  the  priests. 
But,  alas !  these  efforts  were  as  vain  as  the  other  at¬ 
tempts  of  the  time  to  Christianize  the  poor  natives. 


188 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


\ 


The  same  evil  causes  were  here  at  work — wars  and 
the  influence  of  bad  men.  It  is  said  these  grateful 
tribes  ever  after  remained  friendly  to  those  who  en¬ 
deavored  to  instruct  them. 

The  persevering  Clayborne  returned,  to  mar  their 
peace  by  another  and  more  successful  insurrection. 
The  Governor  of  Maryland  was  now,  in  his  turn,  com¬ 
pelled  to  flee  to  Virginia.  After  two  years  of  mis¬ 
rule,  peace  was  again  restored,  and  all  the  offenders 
were  pardoned. 

As  an  interesting  fact,  it  may  be  mentioned,  that 
in  this  year  Maryland  passed  a  law  of  perfect  tolera¬ 
tion  to  all  Christian  sects ;  two  years  previous  Rhode 
Island  had  granted  toleration  to  all  opinions,  Infidel 
as  well  as  Christian. 

During  the  rule  of  Cromwell  the  government  of 
Maryland  was  very  unsettled.  The  Assembly,  finally, 
repudiated  both  Cromwell  and  Baltimore,  and  pro¬ 
claimed  the  authority  of  th^  people  as  supreme. 
Scarcely  was  this  accomplished  when  the  restora¬ 
tion  of  Charles  II.  took  place.  Lord  Baltimore  made 
known  to  the  king  that  his  professions  of  republic¬ 
anism  were  made  only  to  obtain  the  favor  of  Crom¬ 
well,  and  that  really  he  was  a  good  royalist.  Charles 
immediately  restored  him  his  proprietary  rights. 
Baltimore  was  not  vindictive;  he  proclaimed  a  gen¬ 
eral  pardon,  and  for  almost  thirty  years  the  colony 
enjoyed  repose. 

Sir  William  Berkeley,  as  successor  to  Harvey,  was 
appointed  Governor  of  Virginia.  The  trade  of  the 
colony  was  crippled  by  severe  restrictions;  as  Eng¬ 
land  claimed  its  trade  for  herself  alone.  Thus  began 
a  series  of  acts  and  infringements  on  commerce  by 
the  home  government,  which  annoyed  the  people  of 
the  colonies,  and  interfered  with  their  industry  and 
commercial  prosperity  for  more  than  one  hundred 
and  thirty  years,  when  these  grievances  were  swept 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


189 


away  by  the  Revolution.  The  colony  was  now  per¬ 
mitted  for  a  time  to  take  care  of  itself,  Charles  I. 
being  engaged  in  a  contest  with  his  subjects  at  home. 
The  Virginians  were  stanch  friends  of  the  king,  and 
the  party  in  the  mother  country  contending  against 
him  met  with  no  favor  from  them.  The  Puritans 
who  were  living  in  Virginia,  being  identified  with  re¬ 
publicanism,  were  looked  upon  with  suspicion ;  those 
of  their  number  who  would  not  conform  to  the  cere¬ 
monies  of  the  Church  of  England  were  banished.  A 
majority  of  these  passed  over  into  Maryland.  Thus 
it  was,  the  Puritan  would  not  permit  the  Episcopalian 
to  come  to  New  England,  and  the  Episcopalian  ban¬ 
ished  the  Puritan  from  Virginia. 

No  peace  was  granted  to  the  Indiana.  After  a 
space  of  twenty-two  years,  they  once  more  made  an 
effort  to  free  themselves  from  their  enemies.  The 
frontier  settlements  were  suddenly  attacked,  and 
about  three  hundred  persons  killed.  When  resisted, 
the  savages  fled  to  the  wilderness.  They  were  pur¬ 
sued  with  great  vigor,  and  after  a  contest  of  two 
years  their  power  was  completely  broken.  Opechan- 
canough,  their  aged  chief,  was  taken  captive,  and 
soon  after  died  in  prison;  his  proud  spirit  deeply 
wounded  that  he  should  be  gazed  at  by  his  enemies. 
The  next  year  a  treaty  was  made,  by  which  they 
relinquished  forever  the  fertile  valleys  of  their  fath¬ 
ers,  and  with  sorrowful  hearts  retired  far  into  the 
wilderness. 

After  the  execution  of  Charles  I.,  great  numbers 
of  the  royalists,  “good  cavalier  families,”  fled  to  Vir¬ 
ginia,  where  they  were  welcomed  as  exiled  patriots. 
She  was  the  last  of  the  colonies  to  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  Commonwealth.  But  when  commis¬ 
sioners  were  sent,  who  granted  the  people  all  the  civil 
rights  and  privileges  they  asked,  they  submitted. 

After  the  death  of  Cromwell,  and  before  it  became 


190 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


known  who  was  to  rule  in  England,  the  House  of 
Burgesses  resolved,  “that  the  supreme  power  will 
be  resident  in  the  Assembly.”  Then  Berkeley  was 
elected  governor.  In  accepting  office,  he  acknowl¬ 
edged  the  authority  of  the  people’s  representatives, 
saying,  “I  am  but  the  servant  of  the  Assembly.”  We 
shall  now  see  how  sincere  was  that  declaration. 

When  Charles  II  was  in  exile  he  was  invited  to 
come  and  be  “king  of  Virginia ;”  from  this  incident, 
it  has  been  called  “The  Old  Dominion.”  This  loyalty 
Charles  after  his  restoration  repaid,  by  basely  taking 
away  their  privileges,  and  distributing  their  lands 
among  his  favorites. 

The  society  of  Virginia  was  peculiar.  The  first  set¬ 
tlements  were  made  under  the  protection  of  the  no¬ 
bility;  this  favored  the  growth  of  an  aristocratic 
class  of  land-holders.  There  were  two  other  classes 
— the  negro,  who  was  a  slave  for  life,  and  the  in¬ 
dented  white  man,  sent  from  the  mother  country  to 
serve  a  certain  number  of  years.  These  white  serv¬ 
ants  were  sometimes  criminals  but  oftener  political 
offenders.  The  latter,  when  their  term  of  servitude 
expired,  mingled  with  the  people  on  an  equality. 

The  Assembly  held  their  sessions  once  in  two 
years,  their  members  were  chosen  by  the  people,  and 
only  for  one  session.  The  first  Assembly  was  held 
after  the  Kestoration  was  composed  of  landholders. 
Berkeley  now  declared  himself  governor,  not  because 
he  was  elected  by  the  people,  but  because  Charles 
when  in  exile  had  appointed  him. 

The  Assembly  went  still  further,  and  deprived  the 
people  of  the  privilege  of  choosing  their  own  legisla¬ 
tors,  by  assuming  to  themselves  the  right  to  be  per¬ 
petual'  This  Assembly  remained  thus  in  violation  of 
law  for  fourteen  years.  During  this  usurpation,  all 
that  the  people  had  gained  of  civil  rights  for  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century,  this  aristocratic  House  of 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


191 


Burgesses  swept  way.  The  only  right  allowed  them 
was  that  of  petitioning  their  rulers  for  redress  of 
grievances — but  these  petitions  were  disregarded. 
The  Church  of  England  was  declared  to  be  the  re¬ 
ligion  of  the  State,  and  all  were  bound  by  law  under 
penalties  of  fines  and  banishment,  not  only  to  attend 
its  services,  but  to  pay  a  tax  to  support  it.  Govern¬ 
or  Berkeley  complained  of  its  ministers:  “as  of  all 
other  commodities,  so  of  this — the  worst  are  sent  us, 
and  we  have  few  that  we  can  boast  of,  since  the  per¬ 
secutions  in  Cromwell's  tyranny  drove  divers  worthy 
men  hither.”  The  cause  of  education  was  neglected, 
and  almost  prohibited.  The  poor  were  peculiarly  un¬ 
fortunate — “out  of  towns,”  says  a  chronicler  of  the 
times,  “every  man  instructs  his  children  as  best  he 
can:” — no  aid  was  afforded  them  by  those  in  author¬ 
ity.  Says  the  aristocratic  Berkeley:  “I  thank  God 
there  are  no  free  schools  nor  printing ;  and  I  hope  we 
will  not  have  them  these  hundred  years !”  Such  was 
the  language  of  a  man  who  was  Governor  of  Virginia 
for  nearly  forty  years.  The  printing-press  was  es¬ 
tablished  in  Massachusetts  ninety  years  before  there 
was  one  in  Virginia. 

The  people  of  Maryland  became  involved  in  war 
with  the  Indians.  A  company  of  Virginians,  under 
John  Washington,  great-grandfather  of  George 
Washington,  crossed  over  the  Potomac  to  aid  them. 
Six  chiefs  of  the  Susquehannahs  came  to  treat  for 
peace,  but  the  Virginians  treacherously  murdered 
the  whole  company.  For  this  evil  deed  the  innocent 
were  made  to  suffer.  The  Susquehannahs  immedi¬ 
ately  passed  over  into  Virginia  to  revenge  their 
death,  by  killing  ten  persons  for  each  chief.  Accord¬ 
ing  to  their  belief,  until  this  sacrifice  was  made,  the 
souls  of  their  chiefs  could  not  be  at  rest  in  the  spirit 
land.  The  people  cried  to  the  governor  for  protec¬ 
tion,  which  he  was  slow  to  give ;  they  attributed  his 


192 


HISTORY  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


tardiness  to  his  interest  in  the  fur-trade.  They  now 
asked  permission  to  defend  themselves ;  to  invade  the 
enemies’  country,  and  drive  them  from  their  hiding 
places ;  this  was  also  refused.  During  this  delay,  the 
Indians  pursued  their  murderous  work  all  along  the 
frontiers. 

There  was  in  the  colony  a  young  planter,  not  more 
than  thirty  years  of  age,  a  native  of  England;  a 
lawyer  by  profession;  eloquent  and  winning  in  his 
manners;  bold  and  determined  in  spirit;  a  true  pa¬ 
triot;  disliked  by  the  governor,  because  he  was  a 
true  republican ;  but  dear  to  the  people  for  the  same 
reason :  such  was  Nathaniel  Bacon.  To  him,  in  their 
extremity,  they  turned.  Those  who  had  volunteered 
to  go  against  the  Indians,  asked  of  the  governor  a 
commission  for  Bacon  to  command  them.  Berkeley 
obstinately  refused  to  grant  it.  He  would  not  coun¬ 
tenance  such  presumption  on  the  part  of  the  “com¬ 
mon  people.”  The  murders  continued ;  the  volun¬ 
teers  waited  no  longer  on  the  tardy  government,  but 
set  out  under  the  command  of  Bacon  to  repel  the 
savages.  The  moment  they  were  gone,  Berkeley  pro¬ 
claimed  Bacon  a  traitor,  and  his  soldiers  rebels,  and 
gave  orders  for  them  to  disperse. 

The  populous  counties  on  the  Bay  began  to  show 
signs  of  insurrection.  Their  quarrel  was  not  with 
the  Indians,  but  with  the  acts  and  continued  exist¬ 
ence  of  the  House  of  Burgesses.  Bacon,  meanwhile, 
had  returned  successfully  from  his  expedition.  The 
haughty  old  governor  was  forced  to  yield;  the  ob¬ 
noxious  Assembly  was  dissolved,  and  writs  issued  for 
the  election  of  another,  to  which  Bacon  was  returned 
triumphantly  from  Henricho  county.  This  Assembly 
corrected  the  evils  of  the  long  one.  The  unjust  taxes 
on  the  poor  were  removed ;  the  privileges  of  voting 
for  their  legislators  was  restored  to  the  people,  and 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


193 


many  abuses  in  relation  to  the  expenditure  of  the 
public  money  rectified.  The  House  elected  Bacon 
commander  of  the  army.  These  measures  were  very 
distasteful  to  Berkeley  and  his  advisers — he  would 
not  give  them  his  sanction.  Finally,  however,  he 
yielded  to  necessity;  and  even  went  so  far  as  to 
transmit  to  England,  his  own  and  the  council's  com¬ 
mendations  of  Bacon's  loyalty  and  patriotism. 

The  Indians  still  continued  their  attacks  upon  the 
settlements,  and  Bacon  with  a  small  force  went  to 
punish  them  :  again  the  insincere  Berkeley  pro¬ 
claimed  him  a  traitor.  Such  treachery  excited  Ba¬ 
con's  indignation  and  that  of  the  army.  No  confi¬ 
dence  could  be  placed  in  the  governor's  word.  “It 
vexes  me  to  the  heart,"  said  the  gallant  patriot,  “that 
while  I  am  hunting  the  wolves  which  destroy  our 
lambs,  that  I  should  myself  be  pursued  like  a  sav¬ 
age — the  whole  country  is  witness  to  our  peaceable 
behavior;  but  those  in  authority,  how  have  they 
obtained  their  estates?  Have  they  not  devoured 
the  common  treasury?  What  schools  of  learning 
have  they  promoted?"  Such  were  the  questions 
asked,  and  such  were  the  sentiments  that  stirred 
the  hearts  of  the  people.  They  must  have  their 
rights  restored  :  wives  urged  their  husbands  to 
contend  for  their  liberties. 

Berkeley  with  a  few  royalist  followers  and  advis¬ 
ers,  went  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  bay.  There  by 
promises  of  plunder,  he  collected  a  rabble  of  sailors 
belonging  to  some  English  vessels,  and  a  company 
of  vagabond  Indians.  When  the  rumor  of  the  govern¬ 
or's  intentions  spread  throughout  the  land,  the  people 
with  one  accord  met  in  convention  at  the  Middle 
Plantation,  now  Williamsburg,  where  they  deliberat¬ 
ed  all  day,  even  until  midnight.  They  decided  it  was 
their  duty  to  defend  themselves  from  the  tyranny  of 
the  governor.  They  adjourned,  however,  and  went 


194 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


to  their  homes,  determined  to  be  guided  in  their  con¬ 
duct  by  the  course  he  should  pursue.  They  were  not 
long  in  suspense,  for  Berkeley  crossed  over  with  five 
ships  to  Jamestown,  to  put  down  what  he  was  pleased 
to  call  a  rebellion.  In  a  very  short  time  the  little 
army  so  successful  against  the  Indians,  was  gathered 
once  more  under  the  same  leader.  The  conflict  was 
short;  Berkeley's  cowardly  rabble  broke  and  fled; 
deserting  Jamestown,  they  went  on  board  their  ships 
and  dropped  down  the  river.  The  victors  entered 
the  deserted  town.  A  council  was  held  as  to  what 
was  to  be  done.  Should  they  leave  it  as  a  place  of 
defense  for  their  enemies  ?  It  was  deemed  necessary 
to  burn  it.  Drummond  and  Lawrence,  men  prom-  * 
inent  in  the  popular  movement,  applied  the  torch  to 
their  own  dwellings;  the  example  was  followed  by 
others,  and,  in  a  fevr  hours,  the  first  town  founded 
by  Englishmen  on  this  continent  was  in  ruins.  A 
crumbling  church-tower  is  all  that  now  remains  to 
mark  the  site  of  old  Jamestown. 

The  good  results  of  this  struggle  were  doomed  to 
be  lost.  Bacon  suddenly  fell  ill  of  a  violent  fever, 
which  terminated  his  life  in  a  few  days.  He  was 
called  a  traitor  and  a  rebel  by  Berkeley  and  his 
royalist  party,  as  was  Washington  by  the  same  party 
one  hundred  years  afterward. 

The  people  were  now  without  a  leader — without 
any  one  to  plead  their  cause.  Berkeley  played  the 
tyrant,  ravaged  the  country  and  confiscated  the  prop¬ 
erty  of  the  patriots.  He  caused  to  perish  on  the  scaffold 
more  than  twenty  of  the  best  men  of  Virginia.  One 
or  two  incidents  may  serve  to  exhibit  his  spirit. 
When  Drummond  (who  is  represented  as  a  “sober, 
Scotch  gentleman,  of  good  repute")  was  brought  into 
his  presence,  “You  are  very  welcome,"  said  he,  bow¬ 
ing  at  the  same  time,  with  mock  civility ;  “I  am  more 
glad  to  see  you  than  any  man  in  Virginia;  you  shall 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


195 


be  hanged  in  half  an  hour!”  He  derided,  in  vulgar 
terms,  a  young  wife  who  came  to  plead  for  her  hus¬ 
band,  to  take  the  blame  of  his  offense  upon  herself, 
and  to  offer  her  own  life  for  his. 

If  any  one  dared  speak  disrespectfully  of  Berkeley 
or  his  rule,  he  was  publicly  whipped.  The  end  came 
at  last;  Berkeley  left  the  country,  and  the  people 
celebrated  his  departure  with  bonfires  and  rejoicings. 
When  he  arrived  in  England  he  found  that  public 
opinion  severely  condemned  his  conduct;  and,  what 
was  more  wounding  to  his  pride,  even  Charles,  to 
serve  whom  he  had  stained  his  soul  with  innocent 
blood,  exclaimed,  ‘That  old  fool  has  taken  away  more 
lives  in  that  naked  land  than  I  for  the  death  of  my 
father !”  The  names  and  characters  of  Bacon  and  his 
adherents  were  vilified,  and  for  a  century  these 
slanders  were  not  disproved ;  the  truth  was  not  per¬ 
mitted  to  be  published.  The  facts,  as  now  known, 
prove  that  the  men  who  thus  opposed  the  tyranny  of 
Berkeley  were  not  rebels  and  traitors,  but  worthy  to 
be  numbered  among  the  patriots  of  the  land. 

The  first  Assembly  held  after  this  unsuccessful 
struggle  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  aristoc¬ 
racy.  All  the  liberal  laws  passed  by  the  preceding 
one  were  repealed ;  henceforth  only  freeholders  could 
vote  for  members  of  the  House  of  Burgesses.  The 
poor  man  was  as  heavily  taxed  as  the  rich,  but  unless 
he  was  a  landholder  he  had  no  vote. 

The  profligate  Charles  gave  Virginia  to  two  of  his  - 
favorites — Arlington  and  Culpepper;  the  latter  soon 
after  purchased  the  claim  of  the  former.  The  king 
appointed  Culpepper  governor  for  life.  He  came  au¬ 
thorized  to  heal  differences  between  the  people  and 
the  government,  but  he  used, the  power  for  his  own 
interest  alone ;  he  valued  Virginia  only  in  proportion 
to  the  money  his  rapacity  could  extort ;  even  the  sol¬ 
diers,  sent  to  maintain  his  authority,  he  defrauded 


196 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


of  their  wages.  When  he  had  secured  to  himself  the 
highest  possible  revenue,  he  sailed  for  England.  The 
condition  of  the  Virginians  was  wretched  in  the  ex¬ 
treme;  the  rewards  of  their  industry  went  to  their 
rapacious  rulers,  and  they,  goaded  to  desperation, 
were  on  the  point  of  rebellion. 

Rumors  of  these  discontents  reached  England,  and 
the  truant  governor  reluctantly  left  his  pleasures  to 
visit  his  domain.  Having  the  authority  of  the  king, 
Culpepper  caused  several  men  of  influence  to  be 
hanged  as  traitors.  The  people  who  owned  farms  in 
the  territory,  given  him  by  royal  grant,  he  now  com¬ 
pelled  to  lose  their  estates,  or  compromise  by  paying 
money.  Charles  had  now  another  favorite  to  provide 
for;  Culpepper  was  removed,  and  Effingham  ap¬ 
pointed.  This  change  was  even  for  the  worse;  Eff¬ 
ingham  was  more  needy  and  more  avaricious. 

On  the  accession  of  James  II.  what  is  known  in 
history  as  Monmouth's  Rebellion  occurred.  After  its 
suppression,  multitudes  of  those  implicated  in  it  were 
sent  to  Virginia  and  Maryland  to  be  sold  as  servants 
for  a  term  of  ten  years.  Many  of  these  were  men  of 
education  and  of  good  families.  The  House  of 
Burgesses,  to  their  honor  be  it  said,  declared  these 
poor  men  free,  though  the  cruel  James  had  forbidden 
the  exercise  of  such  lenity. 

So  little  were  the  claims  of  humanity  respected  at 
this  time  in  the  West  of  England,  that  it  was  a  com¬ 
mon  occurrence  to  kidnap  persons  of  the  poorer  sort, 
and  send  them  to  the  colonies  to  be  sold  as  servants 
for  a  term  of  years.  These  were  principally  brought 
to  Virginia  and  Maryland,  as  there  the  planters  re¬ 
quired  many  laborers.  The  trade  was  profitable, 
more  so  than  the  African  slave  trade. 

After  the  accession  of  William  and  Mary  an  effort 
was  made  to  establish  a  college  in  Virginia,  “to  edu¬ 
cate  a  domestic  succession  of  Church  of  England 


VIRGINIA  AND  MARYLAND 


197 


ministers,1 ”  as  well  as  to  teach  the  children  of  the 
Indians.  The  celebrated  Robert  Boyle  made  a  large 
donation,  and  the  king  gave,  in  addition  to  three 
other  grants,  outstanding  quit-rents,  valued  at  about 
$2,000.  Such  was  the  foundation  of  the  college  of 
William  and  Mary. 

The  Rev.  James  Blair,  said  to  be  the  first  commis¬ 
sary  sent  to  the  colonies  by  the  Bishop  of  London, 
“to  supply  the  office  and  jurisdiction  of  the  bishop 
in  the  out-places  of  the  diocese,”  was  its  president 
for  fifty  years. 

Though  William  was  thus  moderately  liberal,  he 
was  by  no  means  the  representative  of  the  true  feel¬ 
ing  of  his  ministry ;  they  even  looked  upon  this  pit¬ 
tance  as  uncalled  for.  Blair,  the  pious  and  energetic 
Scotchman,  once  urged  upon  Seymour,  the  attorney- 
general,  the  importance  of  establishing  schools  to  ed¬ 
ucate  ministers  of  the  gospel.  “Consider,  sir,”  said 
he,  “that  the  people  of  Virginia  have  souls  to  save.” 
He  was  answered  by  a  profane  imprecation  upon 
their  souls,  and  told  to  “make  tobacco.”  This  pithy 
rebuff  indicated  the  spirit  and  general  policy  of  the 
home  government;  it  valued  the  colonies  only  as  a 
source  of  wealth. 

For  many  years  voluntary  emigration  to  Virginia 
almost  ceased.  There  were  no  inducements,  no  en¬ 
couragements  to  industry,  all  commerce  was  re¬ 
stricted.  The  planters  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  Eng¬ 
lish  trader;  he  alone  was  permitted  to  buy  their  to¬ 
bacco  and  to  sell  them  merchandise.  The  whole 
province  was  given  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of 
royal  favorites  and  extortioners,  while  the  printing- 
press,  that  dread  of  tyrants,  was  still  forbidden. 
How  dearly  did  loyal  Virginia  pay  for  the  honor  of 
being  named  the  “Old  Dominion !” 

The  struggles  of  the  people  of  Virginia  under  Ba¬ 
con  and  others,  had  an  effect  on  the  people  of  Mary- 


198 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


land.  At  the  death  of  Lord  Baltimore,  his  son  and 
heir  assumed  the  government,  and  ruled  with  justice 
till  another  revolution  in  England  brought  a  change. 
The  deputy-governor  hesitated  to  acknowledge  Wil¬ 
liam  and  Mary.  This  was  seized  upon  by  some  rest¬ 
less  spirits  to  excite  discontent  in  the  minds  of  the 
people.  Among  other  absurd  stories,  it  was  said  that 
the  Catholics,  who  were  few  in  number,  were  about 
to  invite  the  Indians  to  aid  them  in  massacring  the 
Protestants.  At  this  time  the  Jesuits  had  excited 
the  Indians  of  New  England  and  Canada  against  the 
New  England  colonies.  This  gave  a  shadow  of  prob¬ 
ability  to  the  charge.  Under  the  lead  of  some  per¬ 
sons,  who  professed  to  be  very  zealous  Protestants, 
the  deputy-governor  was  seized,  and  a  convention 
called,  which  deposed  Lord  Baltimore,  and  proclaimed 
the  people  the  true  sovereign.  Two  years  after,  King 
William,  taking  them  at  their  word,  unjustly  de¬ 
prived  Lord  Baltimore  of  his  property,  and  made  the 
colony  a  royal  province.  The  people  now  suffered  the 
penalty  for  ill  treating  their  benevolent  proprietary. 
The  king  placed  over  them  a  royal  governor ;  changed 
their  laws  for  the  worse ;  established  the  Church  of 
England,  and  taxed  them  to  maintain  it ;  did  not  pro¬ 
mote  education,  but  prohibited  printing ;  discouraged 
their  domestic  manufactures;  and  finally  disfran¬ 
chised  the  Catholics,  who  had  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  colony  sixty  years  before.  The  rights  of  Lord 
Baltimore  were  afterward  restored  to  his  infant 
child,  and  the  original  form  of  government  was  es¬ 
tablished.  No  colony  experienced  so  many  vicissi¬ 
tudes  as  Maryland. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

1609—1683 

COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


Hudson's  Discoveries — Indian  Traffic — Fort  on  the  Isle  of 
Manhattan — Walloons  the  First  Settlers — Peter  Minuits 
— The  Patroons — Van  Twiiier  Governor;  His  Misrule — 
Succeeded  by  Kieft — Difficulties  with  the  Indians — They 
Seek  Protection;  Their  Massacre — Peace  Concluded — 
Styvesant  Governor — The  Swedish  Settlement  on  the  Del¬ 
aware — Pavonia — Threatening  Rumors — New  Netherland 
Surrendered  to  England — New  Jersey  Sold  by  the  Duke 
of  York — The  Influence  of  the  Dutch. 

When  there  were  high  hopes  of  discovering  a 
northwest  passage  to  India,  Henry  Hudson  was  sent 
in  search  of  it  by  a  company  of  London  merchants. 
He  was  unsuccessful;  yet  his  enthusiasm  was  not 
diminished  by  his  failure.  He  requested  to  be  again 
sent  on  the  same  errand,  but  the  merchants  were 
unwilling  to  incur  further  expense.  He  then  applied 
to  the  Dutch  East  India  Company;  the  directors  of 
which,  at  Amsterdam,  furnished  him  with  a  ship,  the 
Half -Moon,  with  liberty  to  exercise  his  own  judg¬ 
ment  in  the  prosecution  of  the  enterprise.  He  first 
sailed  to  the  northeast,  away  beyond  the  Capes  of 
Norway,  as  far  as  the  ice  would  permit.  He  saw  that 
an  effort  in  that  direction  would  be  fruitless.  He 
turned  to  the  west,  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  coasted 
along  the  continent  till  he  found  himself  opposite  the 
Capes  of  Virginia;  then  turning  to  the  north  he 
entered  a  “great  bay  with  rivers,”  since  known  as 
the  Delaware ;  still  further  north  he  passed  through 
a  narrow  channel,  and  found  himself  in  a  beautiful 
bay.  Here  he  remained  some  days.  The  natives, 


200 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


“clothed  in  mantles  of  feathers  and  robes  of  fur,” 
visited  his  ship.  Their  astonishment  was  great ;  they 
thought  it  was  the  canoe  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  the 
white  faces,  so  unlike  themselves,  were  his  servants. 
Hudson  explored  the  bay,  and  noticed  a  large  stream 
flowing  from  the  north ;  this,  thought  he,  leads  to  the 
Eastern  Seas.  That  stream,  called  by  some  of  the 
native  tribes  the  Cahohatatea,  or  River  of  Mountains, 
and  by  others  the  Shatemuc,  he  explored  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles ;  it  did  not  lead  to  the  Eastern 
Seas,  yet  that  river  has  immortalized  the  name  of 
Henry  Hudson. 

What  a  change  has  come  over  the  “River  of  Moun¬ 
tains”  since  he  threaded  his  way  up  its  stream  over 
three  hundred  years  ago !  It  has  become  the  high¬ 
way  to  the  great  inland  seas  of  a  continent,  upon 
whose  bosoms  float  the  fruits  of  the  industry  of  mil¬ 
lions  ;  and  the  island  at  its  mouth  the  heart  of  a  na¬ 
tion's  commerce,  whose  every  throb  is  felt  throughout 
that  nation’s  length  and  breadth.  From  the  highest 
church  steeple,  on  this  Isle  of  Manhattan,  the  eye 
takes  in  a  horizon  containing  a  population  very  much 
greater  than  that  of  the  thirteen  colonies  at  the  time 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  There  are  other 
changes  which  the  philanthropist  loves  to  contem¬ 
plate.  Here  are  seen  the  humanizing  influences  of 
Christianity,  of  civilization,  of  intelligence,  and  of 
industry,  embodied  in  institutions  of  learning,  of 
science,  and  of  benevolence,  that  pour  forth  their 
charities  and  blessings,  not  alone  for  this  land  but 
for  others. 

The  coincidence  is  striking,  that,  nearly  at  the 
same  time,  the  representatives  of  three  nations  were 
penetrating  the  wilderness  and  approaching  each 
other.  Champlain,  on  behalf  of  France,  was  explor¬ 
ing  the  northern  part  of  New  York;  John  Smith,  one 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


201 


of  the  pioneers  of  English  colonization,  was  pushing 
his  discoveries  up  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Chesa¬ 
peake,  while  the  Half -Moon  was  slowly  sounding  her 
way  up  the  Hudson. 

Hudson  arrived  safely  in  England,  but  he  was  not 
permitted  by  the  government  to  continue  in  the  serv¬ 
ice  of  the  Dutch,  lest  they  should  derive  advantage 
in  trade  from  his  discoveries.  However,  he  found 
means  to  transmit  to  his  employers  at  Amsterdam, 
an  account  of  his  voyage.  Once  more  he  sailed  under 
the  patronage  of  some  English  merchants.  He 
passed  through  the  straits  into  the  bay  known  by  his 
name ;  groped  among  a  multitude  of  islands  till  late  in 
the  season,  and  then  determined  to  winter  there,  and 
in  the  spring  continue  his  search  for  the  wished-for 
passage.  When  spring  came  his  provisions  were 
nearly  exhausted ;  it  was  impossible  to  prosecute  his 
design.  With  tears  of  disappointment  he  gave  or¬ 
ders  to  turn  the  prow  of  his  vessel  homeward.  A 
day  or  two  afterward  his  crew  mutinied.  They 
seized  him,  put  him,  with  his  son  and  seven  seamen, 
four  of  whom  were  ill,  on  board  the  shallop,  and  in¬ 
humanly  left  them  to  perish.  “The  gloomy  waste 
of  waters  which  bears  his  name,  is  his  tomb  and  his 
monument.” 

Hudson,  in  his  communication  to  his  employers, 
described  the  extensive  region  he  had  discovered  as 
well  watered  by  rivers  and  as  lying  around  bays  and 
inlets ;  as  covered  with  forests  abounding  in  the  finest 
timber  for  shipbuilding ;  and  as  “a  land  as  beautiful 
as  ever  man  trod  upon.”  The  numerous  tribes  of  In¬ 
dians  who  met  him  in  friendship  and  the  multitudes 
of  beaver  and  otter,  gave  indication  also  of  a  profit¬ 
able  trade. 

The  next  year  a  ship  was  sent  to  trade ;  the  traffic 
was  profitable,  and  was  still  further  prosecuted.  In 


202 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


a  few  years  there  were  forts  or  trading  houses  on  the 
river,  as  far  up  as  Fort  Orange,  since  Albany.  A 
rude  fort  at  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  island  was 
the  germ  of  the  present  city  of  New  York.  The 
Dutch  during  this  time  were  busy  exploring  the 
waters  from  the  Delaware  to  Cape  Cod.  They  were 
as  yet  but  a  company  of  traders ;  no  emigrants  had 
left  Holland  with  the  intention  of  making  a  perma¬ 
nent  settlement. 

A  company  was  formed,  under  the  title  of  the 
Dutch  West  India  Company;  an  association  for  the 
purpose  of  trade  only.  They  took  possession  of  the 
territory  as  temporary  occupants ;  if  they  grew  rich 
they  were  indifferent  as  to  other  matters ;  they  had 
no  promise  of  protection  from  Holland,  and  as  a  mat¬ 
ter  of  policy  they  were  peaceful.  The  States-General 
granted  them  the  monopoly  of  trade  from  Cape  May 
to  Nova  Scotia,  and  named  the  entire  territory  New 
Netherland.  The  claims  of  the  English,  French,  and 
Dutch  thus  overlapped  each  other,  and  led  to  “terri¬ 
torial  disputes,  national  rivalries,  religious  antipa¬ 
thies,  and  all  the  petty  hatreds  and  jealousies  of 
trade.” 

About  thirty  families,  Walloons  or  French  Prot¬ 
estants,  who  had  fled  to  Holland  to  avoid  persecution, 
were  the  first  to  emigrate  with  the  intention  of  re¬ 
maining.  Some  of  these  settled  in  the  vicinity  of 
what  is  now  the  Navy  Yard  in  Brooklyn,  others 
went  up  the  river  to  Fort  Orange. 

The  central  position  of  the  island  of  Manhattan 
obtained  for  it  the  honor  of  being  chosen  as  the  resi¬ 
dence  of  the  agent  for  the  company.  Peter  Minuits 
was  appointed  such,  under  the  title  of  governor,  and 
the  few  cottages  at  the  south  end  of  the  island  were 
dignified  with  the  name  of  New  Amsterdam.  The 
island  itself  belonged  exclusively  to  the  company, 
and  was  purchased  from  the  Indians  for  about  twen- 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


203 


ty-four  dollars.  Effort  was  now  made  to  found  a 
State.  Every  person  who  should  emigrate  had  the 
privilege  of  owning  as  much  land  as  he  could  properly 
cultivate,  provided  it  was  not  on  lands  especially 
claimed  by  the  company.  To  encourage  emigration, 
it  was  ordered  that  any  member  of  the  company  who 
in  four  years  should  induce  fifty  persons  to  settle 
anywhere  in  New  Netherland,  except  on  the  island  of 
Manhattan,  should  be  recognized  as  “Patroon,”  or 
“Lord  of  the  ManoE”  Under  this  arrangements 
“Patroons”  could  purchase  a  tract  of  land  sixteen 
miles  long  by  eight  in  width.  They  secured  to  them¬ 
selves,  by  purchase  from  the  Indians,  the  most  valu¬ 
able  lands  and  places  for  trade.  The  less  rich  were 
by  necessity  compelled  to  become  tenants  of  the 
Patroons.  The  people,  thus  deprived  of  that  inde¬ 
pendence  which  is  essential  to  the  progress  of  any 
community,  took  but  little  interest  in  cultivating  the 
soil,  or  in  improving  the  country. 

The  company,  for  the  sake  of  gain,  determined, 
even  at  the  expense  of  the  prosperity  of  the  colonists, 
to  make  New  Amsterdam  the  center  of  the  trade  of 
New  Netherland.  Under  the  penalty  of  banishment 
the  people  were  forbidden  to  manufacture  the  most 
common  fabrics  for  clothing.  No  provision  was  made 
for  the  education  of  the  young,  or  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel;  although  it  was  enjoined  upon  the 
Patroons  to  provide  “a  minister  and  a  schoolmaster,” 
or  at  least  a  “comforter  of  the  sick,”  whose  duty  it 
should  be  to  read  to  the  people  texts  of  Scripture  and 
the  creeds.  The  company  also  agreed,  if  the  specula¬ 
tion  should  prove  profitable,  to  furnish  the  Patroons 
with  African  slaves. 

As  Hudson  had  discovered  Delaware  bay  and  river, 
the  Dutch  claimed  the  territory.  Samuel  Godyn  pur¬ 
chased  from  the  Indians  all  their  lands  from  Cape 
Henlopen  to  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  river.  Two 


204 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


years  after  this  thirty  colonists  arrived,  fully  pre¬ 
pared  to  found  a  settlement.  When  De  Vries,  who 
was  to  be  a  Patroon  and  commander,  came  the  next 
year,  he  found  not  a  vestige  of  the  settlement;  all 
had  perished  by  the  hands  of  the  savages. 

After  the  resignation  of  Minuits,  Walter  Van  Twil- 
ler,  through  the  “influence  of  kinsmen  and  friends,” 
was  appointed  governor.  He  proved  himself  unfitted 
for  the  station.  As  a  clerk,  he  was  acquainted  with 
the  mere  routine  of  business,  but  ignorant  of  human 
nature;  as  conceited  as  he  was  deficient  in  judgment 
and  prudence  he  failed  to  secure  the  respect  of  those 
he  governed.  In  his  zeal  for  the  interests  of  his  em¬ 
ployers,  he  neglected  the  rights  of  the  people,  and 
was  so  inconsistent  in  the  management  of  public  af¬ 
fairs  that  Dominee  Bogardus  sent  him  a  letter  of 
severe  reproof,  threatening  to  give  him  “such  a 
shake  from  the  pulpit  on  the  following  Sunday  as 
would  make  him  shudder.” 

The  inefficient  Van  Twiller  was  succeeded  by  Wil¬ 
liam  Kieft.  Though  he  had  not  the  same  defects  as 
Van  Twiller,  his  appointment  was  a  most  unfortu¬ 
nate  event  for  the  colony.  A  bankrupt  in  Hol¬ 
land,  his  portrait  was  affixed  to  the  gallows ;  an  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  estimation  in  which  his  character  was 
held.  Avaricious  and  unscrupulous,  so  arbitrary  in 
his  measures  that  during  his  rule  the  colony  was  in 
a  continual  turmoil,  he  quarrelled  with  the  Swedes  on 
the  Delaware,  had  difficulties  with  the  English  in 
New  England,  made  the  Indians  his  enemies,  and  had 
scarcely  a  friend  in  his  own  colony. 

The  Dutch  were  on  friendly  terms  with  the  Indians 
during  the  rule  of  Van  Twiller.  It  was  forbidden  by 
law  to  sell  them  fire-arms;  but  the  traders  up  the 
river,  indifferent  to  the  interests  of  the  settlers,  sold 
them  guns  to  such  an  extent,  that  at  one  time  more 
than  four  hundred  of  the  Mohawks,  or  Iroquois,  were 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


205 


armed  with  muskets.  By  this  means  these  terrible 
marauders  and  despots  of  the  wilderness  were  rend¬ 
ered  more  haughty  and  dangerous.  They  paid 
enormous  prices  for  guns,  that  they  might  be  able 
to  meet  their  enemies  the  Canadian  Indians,  who 
were  supplied  with  fire-arms  by  the  French.  Though 
the  traders  did  not  sell  guns  to  the  tribes  living 
near  New  Amsterdam  and  on  the  river,  yet  they  sold 
them  rum. 

Kieft  pretended  that  the  company  had  ordered  him 
to  levy  an  annual  tribute  upon  the  river  Indians — the 
Mohegans  and  other  clans  of  the  Algonquin  race. 
They  refused  to  pay  any  tribute,  saying  he  “was  a 
shabby  fellow  to  come  and  live  on  their  lands  with¬ 
out  being  invited,  and  then  want  to  take  away  their 
corn  for  nothing.”  Such  injustice,  with  the  partial¬ 
ity  shown  to  their  enemies,  the  Mohawks,  gradually 
alienated  their  feelings  of  friendship  for  the  Dutch. 

An  act  of  Kieft  awoke  the  slumbering  anger  of  the 
savages.  The  Raritans,  a  tribe  living  on  the  river 
which  bears  their  name,  were  accused  of  stealing 
hogs,  which  had  been  taken  by  some  Dutch  traders. 
Kieft  did  not  inquire  into  the  truth  of  the  charge, 
but  sent  soldiers  to  punish  them,  who  destroyed  their 
corn  and  killed  some  of  their  number.  De  Vries,  who, 
in  the  meantime,  had  planted  a  settlement  on  Staten 
Island,  was  himself  a  friend  of  the  Indians.  The 
Raritans  attacked  this  settlement  and  killed  four 
men.  The  people  now  urged  the  governor  to  concili¬ 
ate  the  savages,  but  without  effect.  Twenty  years 
before  a  chieftain  had  been  killed  by  a  Dutch  hunter 
in  the  presence  of  his  nephew,  then  a  little  boy ;  that 
boy,  now  a  man,  according  to  their  custom,  avenged 
the  death  of  his  uncle  by  murdering  an  innocent 
Dutchman.  Kieft  demanded  that  the  young  man 
should  be  given  up  to  him,  to  be  punished  as  a  mur¬ 
derer.  The  tribe  would  not  com  ply  with  the  demand, 


206 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


but  offered  to  pay  the  price  of  blood.  The  violent 
governor  refused  any  such  compromise. 

With  his  permission  a  meeting  of  the  heads  of 
families  was  called.  They  chose  twelve  of  their  num¬ 
ber  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the  colony.  They 
passed  very  soon  from  the  Indian  difficulties  to  other 
abuses ;  even  to  the  despotic  actions  of  the  governor 
himself.  As  the  ‘Twelve  men”  refused  to  be  con¬ 
trolled  by  Kieft,  but  persevered  in  expressing  their 
opinions  of  his  conduct,  he  dissolved  the  Assembly. 
Thus  ended  the  first  representative  Assembly  in  New 
Netherland. 

Nearly  all  the  difficulties  with  the  Indians  may  be 
traced  to  some  injustice  practised  upon  them  by  the 
whites.  An  instance  of  this  kind  now  occurred  which 
led  to  direful  results.  A  Dutchman  sold  a  young 
Indian,  the  son  of  a  chief,  brandy,  and  when  he  was 
intoxicated,  cheated  and  drove  him  away.  The  In¬ 
dian,  raging  with  drink,  and  maddened  by  the  treat¬ 
ment  he  had  received,  went  to  his  home,  obtained  his 
bow  and  arrows,  returned  and  shot  the  Dutchman 
dead.  The  chiefs  of  the  murderer’s  tribe  hastened  to 
the  governor  to  explain  the  matter,  and  to  pay  the 
price  of  blood ;  they  wished  for  peace ;  but  the  gov¬ 
ernor  was  inexorable.  He  demanded  the  murderer; 
but  he  had  fled  to  a  neighboring  tribe.  “It  is  your 
own  fault !”  exclaimed  the  indignant  chiefs ;  “why  do 
you  sell  brandy  to  our  young  men?  it  makes  them 
crazy; — your  own  people  get  drunk,  and  fight  with 
knives.” 

Just  at  this  time  came  a  company  of  eighty  Mo¬ 
hawks,  all  armed  with  muskets,  to  demand  tribute  of 
the  enfeebled  River  Tribes.  The  latter  fled  to  the 
Dutch  for  protection.  Now  is  the  time,  urged  the 
people,  to  obtain  forever  the  friendship  of  the  Indians 
living  around  us,  by  rescuing  them  from  the  rapac¬ 
ious  Mohawks.  Now  is  the  time,  thought  the  stub- 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


207 


born  and  cruel  Kieft,  to  exterminate  those  who  have 
fled  to  me  for  safety. 

“If  you  murder  these  poor  creatures  who  have  put 
themselves  under  your  protection,  you  will  involve 
the  whole  colony  in  ruin,  and  their  blood,  and  the 
blood  of  your  own  people,  will  be  required  at  your 
hands!”  urged  the  kind-hearted  De  Vries.  The  ad¬ 
monition  was  unheeded. 

The  unsuspecting  victims  of  this  scheme  of  treach¬ 
ery  and  barbarous  cruelty  were  with  the  tribe  of 
Hackensacks,  just  beyond  Hoboken.  About  the  hour 
of  midnight  the  soldiers  from  the  fort,  and  some 
freebooters  from  the  ships  in  the  harbor,  passed  over 
the  river.  Soon  were  heard  the  shrieks  of  the  dying 
Indians; — the  carnage  continued,  the  poor  victims 
ran  to  the  river,  to  pass  over  to  their  supposed 
friends  in  New  Amsterdam.  But  they  were  driven 
into  the  water;  the  mother,  who  rushed  to  save  her 
drowning  child,  was  pushed  in,  that  both  might  per¬ 
ish  in  the  freezing  flood.  These  were  not  the  only 
victims.  Another  company  of  Indians,  trusting  to 
the  Dutch  for  protection,  were  encamped  on  the  is¬ 
land,  but  a  short  distance  from  the  fort.  They  were 
nearly  all  murdered  in  the  same  manner.  In  the 
morning  the  returning  soldiers  received  the  congrat¬ 
ulations  of  Kieft.  When  the  people  learned  of  the 
massacre  they  were  filled  with  horror  at  its  atrocity, 
and  expressed  their  detestation  of  its  author,  and 
their  fears  that  all  the  Indians  in  their  neighborhood 
would  become  their  deadly  enemies.  The  guilty 
Kieft  cowered  before  the  storm ;  it  would  have  been 
well  if  the  only  effects  of  his  acts  had  been  the  re¬ 
proaches  of  the  people. 

When  it  became  known  that  it  was  not  their  ene¬ 
mies  the  Mohawks,  but  their  pretended  friends  the 
Dutch,  who  had  wantonly  killed  their  countrymen, 
the  rage  of  the  River  Tribes  knew  no  bounds.  They 


208 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


rose  as  one  man  to  take  revenge.  Every  nook  and 
corner,  every  swamp  and  thicket,  became  an  ambush 
for  the  enraged  savages.  The  settlements  up  the 
river  were  destroyed.  On  Long  Island,  on  Staten 
Island,  the  retribution  fell ;  all  around  Manhattan  the 
smoke  of  burning  dwellings  arose  to  heaven.  The 
people  at  a  distance  from  the  fort  were  either  mur¬ 
dered  or  taken  captive,  especially  the  women  and 
children.  All  who  could  deserted  their  homes,  and 
sought  safety  in  the  fort  at  Manhattan;  many  of 
whom  afterward  left  for  Holland. 

A  pleasing  incident  is  related  of  Indian  gratitude. 
De  Vries  had,  on  that  fearful  night,  rescued  an  In¬ 
dian  and  his  wife  from  death.  When  his  settlement 
on  Staten  Island  was  attacked,  this  Indian  hastened 
to  his  countrymen  who  were  besieging  the  people  in 
the  block-house,  and  told  them  how  he  and  his  wife 
had  been  rescued.  The  besiegers  immediately  told 
the  people  they  would  molest  them  no  more ;  and  they 
kept  their  word. 

A  temporary  truce  was  made  at  Rockaway  on  Long 
Island.  The  chiefs  of  a  number  of  tribes  agreed  to 
meet  the  messengers  of  the  Dutch,  and  treat  of 
peace.  De  Vries,  whom  the  Indians  knew  to  be  their 
friend,  went  with  two  others  to  the  interview.  When 
the  conference  was  opened  one  of  the  chiefs  arose, 
having  in  his  hand  a  number  of  little  sticks ;  taking 
one,  he  commenced:  “When  you  first  came  to  our 
shores  you  wanted  food ;  we  gave  you  our  beans  and 
our  corn,  and  now  you  murder  our  people.”  He  took 
another  stick :  “The  men  whom  your  first  ships  left 
to  trade,  we  guarded  and  fed;  we  gave  them  our 
daughters  for  wives ;  some  of  those  whom  you  mur¬ 
dered  were  of  your  own  blood.”  Many  sticks  still 
remained,  but  the  envoys  did  not  wish  to  hear  a  fur¬ 
ther  recital  of  wrongs.  They  proposed  that  they 
should  both  forget  the  past,  and  now  make  peace  for- 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


209 


ever.  Peace  was  made.  It  was  not  satisfactory  to 
the  young  warriors ;  they  thought  “the  bloody  men,” 
as  they  now  called  the  Dutch,  had  not  paid  the  full 
price  of  the  lives  they  had  taken;  and  war  broke 
forth  again.  Now  the  leader  of  the  Dutch  was  Cap¬ 
tain  John  Underhill,  who  had  had  experience  in  the 
Pequod  war  in  New  England.  For  two  years  the  In¬ 
dians  were  hunted  from  swamp  to  swamp,  through 
winter  and  summer;  yet  they  were  not  subdued. 
They  lay  in  ambush  round  the  settlements,  and 
picked  off  the  husbandman  from  his  labor,  and  car¬ 
ried  into  captivity  his  wife  and  children.  There  was 
no  security  from  the  midnight  attack ;  scarcely  any 
corn  was  planted;  famine  and  utter  ruin  stared  the 
colony  in  the  face. 

Sixteen  hundred  of  the  Indians  had  been  killed,  and 
the  number  of  white  people  was  so  much  reduced, 
that,  besides  traders,  there  were  not  more  than  one 
hundred  persons  on  the  Isle  of  Manhattan.  What  a 
ruin  had  been  wrought  by  the  wicked  perverseness  of 
one  man! 

At  length  both  parties  became  weary  of  war.  The 
chieftains  of  the  tribes  around  New  Amsterdam, 
and,  as  mediators,  a  deputation  from  their  ancient 
enemies  the  Mohawks,  met  the  deputies  of  the  Dutch 
beneath  the  open  sky,  on  the  place  now  known  as 
the  Battery,  in  New  York  City,  and  there  concluded 
a  peace. 

Thanksgivings  burst  forth  from  the  people  at  the 
prospect  of  returning  safety.  There  was  no  consola¬ 
tion  for  Kieft;  he  was  justly  charged  by  them  with 
being  the  cause  of  all  their  misfortunes.  The  com¬ 
pany  censured  him,  and  disclaimed  his  barbarous 
conduct.  He  was  without  a  friend  in  the  colony. 
After  two  years,  with  his  ill-gotten  gains,  he  sailed 
for  his  native  land.  The  vessel  was  wrecked  on 


210 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


the  coast  of  Wales,  and,  with  many  others,  he  was 
lost. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  difficulties  there  were 
those  who  labored  to  instruct  the  poor  heathen  In¬ 
dians  of  New  Netherland.  Several  years  before  the 
missionary  Eliot  commenced  his  labors  with  the 
tribes  near  Boston,  Megapolensis,  the  Dutch  clergy¬ 
man  at  Fort  Orange,  endeavored  to  teach  the  Mo¬ 
hawks  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  He  strove  to  learn 
their  language,  that  he  might  “speak  and  preach  to 
them  fluently,”  but  without  much  success ;  their  lan¬ 
guage  was,  as  he  expressed  it,  so  “heavy.”  The 
grave  warriors  would  listen  respectfully  when  told  to 
renounce  certain  sins,  but  they  would  immediately 
ask  why  white  men  committed  the  same.  Efforts 
were  made  afterward  to  instruct  in  Christianity  the 
tribes  around  Manhattan,  but  the  good  work  was 
neutralized  by  other  and  evil  influences. 

The  West  Indian  Company  appointed  Peter  Stuyve- 
sant  to  succeed  Kieft  as  governor.  He  had  been  ac¬ 
customed  to  military  rule,  and  was  exceedingly  arbi¬ 
trary  in  his  government ;  honest  in  his  endeavors  to 
fulfill  his  trust  to  the  company,  he  also  overlooked 
the  rights  of  the  people.  He  thought  their  duty  was 
to  pursue  their  business,  and  pay  their  taxes,  and  not 
trouble  their  brains  about  his  manner  of  government. 
The  colony  was  well-nigh  ruined  when  Stuyvesant 
came  into  power ;  for  nearly  five  years  the  dark  cloud 
of  war  had  been  hanging  over  it.  The  Indians  had 
been  dealt  with  harshly  and  treacherously ;  policy  as 
well  as  mercy  demanded  that  they  should  be  treated 
leniently.  The  company  desired  peace  with  the  var¬ 
ious  tribes,  for  the  success  of  trade  depended  upon 
their  good-will. 

Although  the  Dutch  claimed  the  territory  from 
Cape  Cod  to  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  they  preferred  to 
negotiate  with  New  England,  and  desired  that  the 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


211 


wars  between  their  mother  countries  in  the  Old 
World  should  not  disturb  the  harmony  of  the  New. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  Connecticut  people 
annoyed  Stuyvesant  exceedingly.  The  absurd  stories 
told  by  the  wily  Mohegan  chief,  Uncas,  of  the  Dutch 
conspiring  with  the  Narragansets  to  cut  off  the  Eng¬ 
lish,  found  a  too  ready  credence ;  so  ready  as  to  leave 
the  impression  that  such  stories  were  rather  welcome 
than  otherwise,  provided  they  furnished  an  excuse 
for  encroaching  upon  the  territory  of  the  Dutch. 
When  accused  of  this  conspiracy,  said  a  sachem  of 
the  Narragansets,  “I  am  poor,  but  no  present  can 
make  me  an  enemy  of  the  English !” 

We  have  now  to  speak  of  others  settling  on  terri¬ 
tory  claimed  by  the  Dutch.  Gustavus  Adolphus,  the 
King  of  Sweden,  was  induced  to  engage  in  sending  a 
colony  to  the  New  World.  He  wished  to  found  an 
asylum  to  which  Protestants  of  Europe  could  flee. 
Peter  Minuits,  who  has  already  been  mentioned,  as 
commercial  agent  at  New  Amsterdam,  offered  his 
services  to  lead  the  company  of  emigrants.  The 
same  year  that  Kieft  came  as  a  governor  to  New 
Amsterdam,  Minuits  landed  on  the  shores  of  the  Del¬ 
aware  with  a  company  of  emigrants,  about  fifty  in 
number.  They  purchased  from  the  Indians  the  ter¬ 
ritory  on  the  west  side  of  the  bay  and  river  from 
Cape  Henlopen  to  the  falls  at  Trenton.  This  was 
very  nearly  the  soil  of  the  present  State  of  Dela¬ 
ware.  Nearly  all  this  territory  had  been  purchased 
some  years  before  by  the  Dutch,  who  looked  upon 
the  Swedes  as  intruders.  The  latter  built  a  fort  and 
a  church  on  the  site  of  Wilmington,  and  named  the 
country  New  Sweden.  The  Dutch  protested,  but  the 
Swedes  went  quietly  to  work,  and  increased  from 
year  to  year  by  accessions  from  their  native  land. 
For  years  the  disputes  between  the  two  colonies  con¬ 
tinued  ;  at  length  Stuyvesant,  obeying  the  orders  of 


212 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


the  company,  determined  to  make  the  Swedes  sub¬ 
mit  to  Dutch  rule.  The  former,  in  surrendering, 
were  to  lose  none  of  their  rights  as  citizens.  Thus, 
after  an  existence  of  seventeen  years,  the  Swedish 
colony  passed  under  the  sway  of  the  Dutch.  Many 
of  them  became  dissatisfied  with  the  arbitrary  acts 
of  their  rulers,  and  from  time  to  time  emigrated  to 
Virginia  and  Maryland. 

What  is  now  New  Jersey  was  also  included  in  the 
territory  claimed  by  the  Dutch.  They  built  a  fort,  a 
short  distance  below  Camden,  which  they  named 
Nassau.  Michael  Pauw  bought  of  the  Indians  Staten 
Island,  and  all  the  land  extending  from  Hoboken  to 
the  river  Raritan.  He  named  the  territory  Pavonia. 
Meanwhile  the  Swedes  passed  over  to  the  east  side 
of  Delaware  bay,  and  established  trading  houses 
from  Cape  May  to  Burlington. 

Manhattan  in  the  meanwhile  was  gaining  num¬ 
bers  by  emigration.  The  stern  Stuyvesant  was  some 
times  intolerant,  but  the  company  wished  the  people 
to  enjoy  the  rights  of  conscience.  They  wished  New 
Amsterdam  to  be  as  liberal  to  the  exile  for  religion's 
sake  as  was  its  namesake  in  the  Old  World.  Every 
nation  in  Europe  had  here  its  representatives.  It 
was  remarked  “that  the  inhabitants  were  of  different 
sects  and  nations,  and  that  they  spoke  many  different 
languages."  The  public  documents  were  issued 
sometimes  in  Dutch,  sometimes  in  English,  and 
sometimes  in  French.  Two  centuries  ago  it  was 
prophesied  that  here  would  be  centered  the  commerce 
of  the  world.  Time  is  realizing  the  prediction.  To 
promote  emigration  the  mechanic  had  his  passage 
given  him.  The  poor  persecuted  Waldens  came 
from  their  native  valleys  and  mountains  at  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  the  old  city  of  Amsterdam.  Africa,  too,  had 
her  representatives.  Her  sons  and  daughters  were 
brought  as  slaves  at  the  charge  of  the  West  Indian 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


213 


Company;  and  the  city  of  Amsterdam,  in  this  case 
also,  shared  the  expense  and  the  profit. 

The  spirit  of  democracy  began  to  pervade  the 
minds  of  the  Dutch ;  the  credit  of  this  has  been  given 
to  the  New  Englanders,  who  were  continually  en¬ 
lightening  them  on  the  subject  of  the  freedom  of 
Englishmen.  This  annoyed  Stuyvesant  beyond  en¬ 
durance.  He  often  expressed  his  contempt  for  the 
“wavering  multitude;”  he  despised  the  people,  and 
scoffed  at  the  idea  that  they  could  govern  themselves. 
It  was  their  duty  to  work,  and  not  discuss  the  mys¬ 
teries  of  government.  They  had  no  voice  in  the 
choice  of  their  rulers,  and  were  even  forbidden  to 
hold  meetings  to  talk  of  their  affairs.  Stuyvesant 
finally  consented  to  let  them  hold  a  convention  of 
two  delegates  from  each  settlement;  but  as  soon  as 
these  delegates  began  to  discuss  his  conduct  as  gov¬ 
ernor,  he  dissolved  the  convention,  bluntly  telling 
them  he  derived  his  authority  from  the  company, 
and  not  from  “a  few  ignorant  subjects.”  When  a 
citizen,  in  a  case  in  which  he  thought  himself  ag¬ 
grieved,  threatened  to  appeal  to  the  States-General 
of  Holland,  “If  you  do”  said  the  angry  governor,  “I 
will  make  you  a  foot  shorter  than  you  are.”  When 
the  day  of  trial  came,  Stuyvesant  found  that  by  such 
despotic  measures  he  had  lost  the  good-will  of  the 
people  of  every  class  and  nation. 

Rumors  were  now  rife  that  the  English  were  about 
to  subdue  New  Netherland.  The  people  for  the  most 
part  were  indifferent;  they  had  now  no  civil  rights, 
and  to  them  the  change  might  be  for  the  better;  it 
was  not  probable  that  it  would  be  for  the  worse.  The 
English  portion  longed  for  the  rights  of  Englishmen. 
Though  there  had  been  war  between  England  and 
Holland,  the  people  of  Virginia  and  New  England, 
except  perhaps  those  of  Connecticut,  were  well  dis^ 
posed  toward  the  Dutch  as  neighbors. 


214 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


Stuyvesant  was  soon  relieved  of  his  troubles  with 
the  people  of  Manhattan.  Charles  II.,  without  re¬ 
gard  to  the  rights  of  Holland,  with  whom  he  was  at  ' 
peace,  or  to  the  rights  of  the  people  of  Connecticut 
under  their  charter,  gave  to  his  brother,  the  Duke  of 
York,  the  entire  country  from  the  Connecticut  to  the 
Delaware.  The  first  intimation  Stuyvesant  had  of 
this  intended  robbery,  was  the  presence  of  a  fleet, 
under  Richard  Nicholls,  sent  to  put  in  execution  the 
orders  of  the  English  king.  The  fleet  had  brought  to 
Boston  the  commissioners  for  New  England,  and 
there  received  recruits,  and  sailed  for  New  Amster¬ 
dam.  All  was  in  confusion;  Stuyvesant  wished  to 
make  resistance,  but  the  people  were  indifferent. 
What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  fleet  was  in  the  bay,  and 
the  recruits  from  New  England  had  just  pitched 
their  tents  in  Brooklyn :  Long  Island  was  already  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy :  Nicholls  sent  Stuyvesant  a 
letter  requiring  him  to  surrender  his  post,  which  the 
valiant  governor  refused  to  do  without  a  struggle.  A 
meeting  of  the  principal  inhabitants  was  called ;  they 
very  properly  asked  for  the  letter  which  the  governor 
had  received  from  the  English  admiral.  They 
wished  to  know  the  terms  he  offered  to  induce  them 
to  acknowledge  English  authority.  Rather  than  send 
the  letter  to  be  read  to  the  “wavering  multitude,”  the 
angry  Stuyvesant  tore  it  to  pieces.  Instead,  there¬ 
fore,  of  preparing  to  defend  themselves  against  the 
enemy  the  people  protested  against  the  arbitrary 
conduct  of  the  governor.  At  length  the  capitulation 
was  made,  on  the  condition  that  the  people  should  be 
protected  in  their  rights  and  property,  religion  and 
institutions. 

In  a  few  days  Fort  Orange  surrendered ;  and  in  a 
few  weeks  the  Dutch  and  Swedes  on  the  shores  of 
the  Delaware  passed  under  the  rule  of  England. 
Nicholls  was  appointed  governor.  New  Amsterdam 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


215 


was  to  be  hereafter  known  as  New  York,  and  Fort 
Orange  as  Albany. 

A  treaty  was  also  made  with  the  Mohawks;  they 
had  been  the  friends  of  the  Dutch,  and  now  they  be¬ 
came  the  friends  of  the  English,  and  remained  so  in 
all  their  contests,  both  with  the  French,  and  the  Col¬ 
onies  during  the  revolution.  They  served  as  a  bulwark 
against  incursions  from  Canada.  Their  hatred  of  the 
French  was  intense.  They  said,  the  Canadian  In¬ 
dians  never  invaded  their  territory  unaccompanied 
by  a  “skulking”  Frenchman. 

England  and  Holland  were  soon  at  war  again ;  and 
suddenly  a  Dutch  squadron  anchored  in  the  bay,  and 
demanded  the  surrender  of  the  colony.  Thus  the 
territory  became  New  Netherland  once  more. 

In  a  little  more  than  a  year  peace  was  made,  and 
the  province  was  restored  to  England.  Thus,  after 
half  a  century,  the  rule  of  the  Dutch  passed  away, 
but  not  their  influence — it  still  remains  to  bless.  The 
struggles  of  their  fathers  in  Holland  in  the  cause  of 
civil  and  religious  freedom,  are  embalmed  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  progress  of  the  human  mind.  In  their 
principles  tolerant,  in  religion  Protestant,  a  nation 
of  merchants  and  manufacturers,  laborious  and 
frugal,  they  acquired  a  fame  as  wide  as  the  world  for 
the  noble  virtue  of  honesty.  Defenders  of  the  right, 
they  were  brave,  bold,  and  plain  spoken;  they  were 
peaceful;  they  were  justly  celebrated  for  their  moral 
and  domestic  virtues;  nowhere  was  the  wife,  the 
mother,  the  sister  more  honored  and  cherished. 
Such  were  the  ancestry  and  such  the  traditions  of  the 
people  just  come  under  British  rule.  A  little  more 
than  a  century  elapsed,  and  their  descendants,  with 
scarcely  an  exception,  took  their  places  with  the  lov¬ 
ers  of  their  country  in  the  struggle  for  independence. 

The  change  of  rulers  was  not  beneficial  to  the  peo¬ 
ple  ;  the  promises  made  to  them  were  not  kept ;  their 


216 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


taxes  were  increased;  the  titles  to  their  lands  were 
even  called  in  question,  that  the  rapacious  governors 
might  reap  a  harvest  of  fees  for  giving  new  ones.  It 
was  openly  avowed  by  the  unprincipled  Lovelace,  the 
successor  of  Nicholls,  that  the  true  way  to  govern 
was  by  severity;  to  impose  taxes  so  heavy  that  the 
people  should  have  “liberty  for  no  thought  but  how 
to  discharge  them.”  When  the  people  respectfully 
petitioned  in  relation  to  their  grievances,  their  pe¬ 
tition  was  burned  by  the  hangman  before  the  town- 
hall  in  New  York,  by  order  of  the  same  Lovelace. 
The  same  species  of  tyranny  was  exercised  over  the 
colonists  on  the  Delaware. 

The  Duke  of  York  sold  to  Lord  Berkeley,  brother 
of  Sir  William  Berkeley,  governor  of  Virginia,  and 
Sir  George  Carteret,  the  soil  of  New  Jersey.  They 
made  liberal  offers  to  emigrants  to  settle  in  the  ter¬ 
ritory,  promising  to  collect  no  rents  for  five  years. 
Many  families  were  induced  to  come  from  Long  Is¬ 
land.  Their  principal  settlement  was  named,  in 
honor  of  Carteret’s  wife,  Elizabethtown.  All  went 
smoothly  till  pay  day  came,  and  then  those  colonists 
who  had  lived  under  Dutch  rule  refused  to  pay.  They 
contended  that  they  had  bought  their  lands  from  the 
Indians,  the  original  owners  of  the  soil,  and  that 
Carteret  had  no  claim  to  rent  because  the  king  had 
given  him  a  grant  of  land  which  did  not  belong  to 
him.  Others  said  they  derived  no  benefit  from  the 
proprietary,  and  why  should  they  pay  him  quit- 
rents  ? 

The  Duke  of  York  had  but  little  regard  to  the 
rights  of  Carteret  or  Berkeley ;  he  appointed  Andros, 
“the  tyrant  of  New  England,”  governor  of  the  col¬ 
ony.  Berkeley,  disgusted  by  such  treatment,  sold 
what  was  called  West  Jersey  to  Edward  Byllinge,  an 
English  Quaker,  who  in  a  short  time  transferred  his 
claim  to  William  Penn  and  two  others,  who  afterward 


COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  YORK 


217 


\ 


made  an  arrangement  with  Carteret  to  divide  the 
territory.  Penn  and  his  associates  taking  West  Jer¬ 
sey,  and  Carteret  retaining  East  Jersey,  the  line  of 
division  being  drawn  from  the  ocean,  at  Little  Egg 
Harbor,  to  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  province. 

Episcopacy  having  been  re-established  in  Scotland, 
a  certain  portion  of  the  Presbyterians,  the  Camer- 
onians  or  Convenanters,  refused  to  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  that  church,  and  in  consequence  they  be¬ 
came  the  victims  of  a  severe  persecution.  To  escape 
this  they  were  induced  to  emigrate  in  great  numbers 
to  East  Jersey,  which  thus  became  the  cradle  of  Pres¬ 
byterianism  in  America.  The  original  settlers  of 
New  Jersey  were  the  Dutch,  English,  Quakers,  Puri¬ 
tans,  from  New  England,  and  Presbyterians,  from 
Scotland,  which  may  account  for  that  sturdy  opposi¬ 
tion  to  royal  or  ecclesiastical  tyranny  so  character¬ 
istic  of  its  inhabitants. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

1650—1742  ' 

COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

The  Quakers. — William  Penn. — His  Education. — Obtains  a 
Charter. — Preparations  to  plant  a  Colony. — He  lands  at 
Newcastle — Philadelphia — Rights  of  the  Indians — Settle¬ 
ment  of  Germantown — Fletcher,  the  Royal  Governor — 
New  Charter  Granted  the  People — Prosperity  of  the  Col- 
-ony — Trials  of  Penn:  His  Death — Benjamin  Franklin. 

We  have  in  the  course  of  this  history  met  with  the 
sect  known  as  Quakers, — a  sect,  perhaps,  more  than 
any  other  drawn  from  the  humbler  classes  of  the  Eng¬ 
lish  people.  We  have  found  them  at  one  time  few  in 
number,  despised  and  persecuted ;  treated  as  the  en¬ 
emies  of  social  order  and  morals.  They  were  perse¬ 
cuted  by  all  the  sects  in  turn.  The  Puritans  of  New 
England  endeavored  to  drive  them  from  their  shores ; 
the  Churchmen  of  Virginia  refused  them  a  resting 
place ;  and  the  politic  and  trading  Dutch,  though  de¬ 
sirous  for  colonists,  treated  them  harshly. 

The  Quakers  loved  and  cherished  the  truths  of  the 
Bible  with  as  much  zeal  as  the  most  devoted  Puri¬ 
tans.  As  non-resistants,  they  believed  that  the  only 
evil  a  Christian  should  resist,  was  the  evil  of  his  own 
heart :  as  followers  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  they  were 
opposed  to  war.  How  much  blood  and  sorrow  would 
be  spared  the  nations,  if  in  this  respect  they  were 
governed  by  the  principles  of  Quakerism ! 

We  have  now  to  speak  of  this  despised  sect  as  the 
founders  of  a  State,  where  their  principles  were  to 
be  applied  to  the  government  of  men. 

George  Fox,  their  founder,  had  visited  the  Ameri- 


COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


219 


can  colonies;  the  condition  of  his  followers  touched 
his  heart.  Was  there  no  asylum  for  them  in  the 
New  World?  Who  should  furnish  them  the  means 
to  form  for  themselves  a  settlement  ? 

Among  the  few  who  joined  them  from  the  higher 
classes  of  English  society,  was  one  destined  to  exert 
a  great  influence  on  the  sect,  and  to  be  admired  and 
reverenced  as  a  benefactor  of  his  race  by  the  good  of 
every  age.  When  a  mere  youth,  his  heart  was 
touched  by  the  conversation  of  a  simple-minded 
Quaker,  who  spoke  of  the  peace  and  comfort  derived 
from  the  witnessing  of  God’s  Spirit  with  his  own: 
“the  inner  light,”  or  voice  of  conscience.  This  youth 
was  William  Penn,  the  son  of  Sir  William  Penn,  who 
was  distinguished  as  a  successful  naval  commander 
in  the  times  of  Cromwell  and  Charles  II.  The  posi¬ 
tion  of  his  father  afforded  him  great  advantages. 
He  studied  at  Oxford  University,  was  then  sent  to 
the  Continent  to  improve  his  mind  by  travel  and 
intercourse  with  men,  and  to  eradicate  his  tendency 
toward  Quakerism.  After  the  absence  of  two  years 
he  returned,  improved  it  is  true,  but  in  religion  still 
a  member  of  that  despised  sect  everywhere  spoken 
against:  a  sect,  which  its  enemies  affirmed,  would 
destroy  every  government.  The  ambitious  and 
worldly-minded  Admiral  was  angry  and  disappointed. 
He  insisted  that  his  son  should  renounce  Quaker¬ 
ism.  The  son  reflected — he  loved  and  reverenced  his 
father;  he  desired  to  obey  and  please  him,  but  could 
he  violate  his  conscience  ?  No ;  he  calmly  resigned  all 
earthly  preferment,  and  became  an  exile  from  his 
father’s  house.  A  mother’s  love  secretly  relieved  his 
pressing  wants. 

Before  long  we  find  him  in  prison  for  his  religion. 
When  the  Bishop  of  London  threatened  him  with 
imprisonment  for  life  if  he  did  not  recant,  he  calmly 
replied,  “Then  my  prison  shall  be  my  grave !”  When 


'  220 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


a  clergyman,  the  learned  Stillingfleet,  was  sent  to 
convince  him  by  arguments,  he  referred  to  his  pris¬ 
on  walls,  and  remarked,  “The  Tower  is  to  me  the 
worst  argument  in  the  world ;  those  who  use  force  for 
religion  never  can  be  in  the  right !”  “Religion,”  said 
he,  on  another  occasion,  “is  my  crime  and  my  inno¬ 
cence  ;  it  makes  me  a  prisoner  to  malice,  but  my  own 
freemen.”  At  the  expiration  of  a  year  he  was  re¬ 
leased,  through  the  intercession  of  his  father. 

Promotion  in  the  navy,  royal  favor,  and  every 
worldly  inducement  was  now  urged  to  tempt  him  to 
desert  his  principles ;  but  in  vain.  Within  a  year  he 
was  arraigned  again  for  having  spoken  at  a  Quaker 
meeting.  As  he  pleaded  his  own  cause,  he  told  the 
court  “that  no  power  on  earth  had  the  right  to  debar 
him  from  worshipping  God.”  The  jury  brought  in  a 
verdict  of  not  guilty.  The  court,  determined  to  per¬ 
secute,  ordered  them  back  to  their  room,  saying, 
“We  will  have  a  verdict,  or  you  shall  starve  for  it.” 
Penn  admonished  them  as  Englishmen  to  remember 
their  rights.  To  the  great  annoyance  of  his  ene¬ 
mies,  the  jury,  though  they  “received  no  refresh¬ 
ments  for  two  days  and  two  nights,”  again  brought 
in  a  verdict  of  not  guilty.  The  court  fined  the  jury 
it  could  not  intimidate.  Though  thus  acquitted,  the 
recorder,  under  plea  of  contempt  of  court,  fined  Penn, 
and  again  remanded  him  to  prison.  As  he  was  leav¬ 
ing  the  room,  he  mildly  remarked  to  the  angry  magis¬ 
trate:  “Thy  religion  persecutes  and  mine  forgives.” 
His  father  soon  afterward  paid  the  fine,  and  he  was 
liberated.  Ere  long  that  father,  when  dying,  became 
reconciled  to  his  son,  and  called  him  to  his  bedside. 
Worldly  prosperity  and  honor  did  not  seem  so  im¬ 
portant  to  the  admiral  in  his  dying  hour  as  they  h  ,d 
done  in  other  days.  “Son  William,”  said  he,  “if  >  u 
and  your  friends  keep  to  your  plain  way  of  preaching 
^nd  living,  you  will  make  an  end  to  the  priests !” 


COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA  221 

Weary  of  persecutions,  Penn  determined  to  seek  in 
the  New  World  an  asylum  for  himself  and  his  suf¬ 
fering  friends.  There  was,  perhaps,  no  man  in  the 
kingdom  better  fitted  to  take  the  lead  in  colonizing 
a  State :  familiar,  from  books  as  well  as  from  obser¬ 
vation,  with  the  governments  of  Europe,  and  by  per¬ 
sonal  intercourse  with  some  of  the  most  enlightened 
statesmen  of  the  age;  the  friend  and  companion  of 
man,  as  eminent  in  science  and  philosophy  as  they 
were  in  purity  of  morals. 

His  father  had  bequeathed  him  a  claim  of  sixteen 
thousand  pounds  against  the  government.  He  of¬ 
fered  to  receive  lands  in  payment.  Charles  II.,  always 
in  want  of  money,  readily  granted  him  territory  west 
of  the  Delaware  river,  corresponding  very  nearly 
with  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
— a  name  given  it  by  the  king.  The  Duke  of  York 
claimed  the  region  now  known  as  the  State  of  Dela¬ 
ware;  Penn  wishing  to  have  free  access  to  the  bay 
obtained  it  from  him. 

As  proprietary  he  now  drew  up  a  proclamation  for 
those  who  were  about  to  emigrate,  as  well  as  for  the 
settlers  already  on  the  Delaware.  He  proposed  that 
they  should  make  their  own  laws,  and  pledged  him¬ 
self  to  interfere  with  nothing  that  should  be  for  their 
benefit;  saying,  “I  propose  to  leave  myself  and  suc¬ 
cessors  no  power  of  doing  mischief ;  that  the  will  of 
no  one  man  may  hinder  the  good  of  a  whole  country .” 

With  instructions  to  govern  in  accordance  with 
law  he  sent  his  nephew  William  Markham,  as  agent. 
He  had  expended  so  much  to  aid  his  suffering  breth¬ 
ren,  that  his  estate  was  now  nearly  exhausted. 
When  about  to  sail  for  his  colony  he  wrote  to  his 
wife :  “Live  low  and  sparingly  till  my  debts  are  paid ; 
I  desire  not  riches,  but  to  owe  nothing ;  be  liberal  to 
the  poor,  and  kind  to  all.”  At  this  time  of  embar¬ 
rassment  a  very  large  sum  was  offered  him  by  a  com- 


222 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


pany  of  traders  for  the  exclusive  right  to  trade  be¬ 
tween  the  rivers  Susquehannah  and  Delaware.  He 
refused  to  sell  such  right,  saying  each  one  in  his 
colony  should  have  an  equal  privilege  to  acquire  prop¬ 
erty. 

Penn,  accompanied  by  one  hundred  emigrants, 
landed  at  New  Castle.  The  Swedes,  Dutch  and  Eng¬ 
lish  alike  welcomed  him.  He  passed  up  the  river  to 

V 

where  the  capital  of  his  province  was  yet  to  rise; 
there,  under  a  spreading  elm,  he  met  a  large  number 
of  sachems  of  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  with  them 
entered  into  a  treaty.  No  record  of  this  treaty  has 
been  preserved,  yet  it  remained  for  fifty  years  in 
force;  neither  party  violating  its  provisions.  The 
sons  of  the  forest  received  the  “Quaker  King”  as  a 
friend,  and  they  never  had  cause  to  regret  their  con¬ 
fidence.  He  promised  to  treat  them  justly ;  a  promise 
observed  not  only  by  himself  but  by  the  Quaker  set¬ 
tlers.  During  this  year  twenty-three  ships  laden 
with  emigrants  arrived  safely  in  the  colony ;  and  they 
continued  to  flock  thither  from  year  to  year. 

Lands,  lying  between  the  Schuylkill  and  the  Dela¬ 
ware,  were  purchased  from  the  Swedes:  a  place  de¬ 
sirable  for  a  city,  from  its  situation,  healthy  air,  and 
springs  of  fresh  water.  It  was  to  be  a  “greene  coun¬ 
try  town,  gardens  round  each  house,  that  it  might 
never  be  burned,  and  always  be  wholesome.”  The 
streets  were  marked  out  in  the  primitive  forest  by 
blazing  the  trees — the  walnut,  the  spruce,  the  chest¬ 
nut.  A  city  for  all  mankind,  it  was  significantly 
named  Philadelphia. 

The  new  city  grew  very  rapidly :  in  three  years  it 
contained  more  than  six  hundred  houses  while  the 
colony  had  a  population  of  nearly  ten  thousand. 
Well  might  the  benevolent  proprietary  look  forward 
to  the  future  in  cheerful  hope ;  he  had  based  his  gov¬ 
ernment  on  truth  and  justice.  The  rights  of  the  Red 


COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


223 


Men  were  respected ;  no  one  could  wrong  them  with¬ 
out  incurring  the  same  penalty  as  that  for  wronging 
a  fellow  planter.  If  difficulties  occurred  between 
them  and  the  settlers,  the  juries  to  try  such  cases 
were  to  be  composed  of  six  Indians  and  six  white 
men.  In  the  earlier  days  of  the  colonies  the  natives 
manifested  their  friendship  by  bringing  as  presents 
the  products  of  the  chase,  wild  fowl  and  venison. 

Presently  the  first  Assembly  in  Pennsylvania  was 
convened.  Penn  gave  to  the  people  a  “charter  of  lib¬ 
erties”  a  representative  government,  and  toleration 
in  religious  matters;  to  prevent  lawsuits,  three 
“peace-makers”  were  appointed  for  each  county. 
Laws  were  made  to  restrain  vice  and  to  promote 
virtue.  Labor  upon  the  Sabbath  was  forbidden.  The 
confidence  which  the  Indians  had  in  his  integrity 
gave  security  to  their  friendship,  and  Pennsylvania 
was  free  from  frontier  wars,  and  more  prosperous 
and  happy  than  any  other  colony.  Had  the  Red  Men 
been  treated  as  justly  by  the  other  colonists  as  by 
the  Quakers,  thousands  of  lives  would  have  been 
spared  and  the  general  prosperity  of  the  whole  coun¬ 
try  promoted. 

The  interests  of  the  young  were  not  forgotten; 
efforts  were  made  for  their  education,  and  a  public 
high  school  chartered  by  Penn,  was  established  at 
Philadelphia,  where  already  a  printing  press,  the 
third  in  the  colonies,  was  doing  its  work. 

After  Penn  returned  to  England,  the  people  of  Del¬ 
aware,  or  the  three  lower  counties,  who  sympathized 
but  little  with  the  Quakers,  began  to  be  restless. 
They  feigned  grievances,  as  a  means  to  become  in¬ 
dependent.  He  yielded  to  their  request,  and  ap¬ 
pointed  for  them  a  separate  deputy  governor. 

Being  the  personal  friend  of  the  Duke  of  York, 
Penn  urged  him  when  he  became  king,  to  relieve  the 
oppressed,  and  in  consequence  more  than  twelve  hun- 


224 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


dred  Quakers  were  liberated,  who  had  been  impris¬ 
oned  many  years  for  conscience’  sake.  His  benevol¬ 
ence  was  not  limited  to  those  of  his  own  persuasion, 
but  extended  to  all,  both  Catholics  and  Protestant. 

When  the  great  revolution  drove  the  arbitrary 
James  into  exile,  and  placed  William  of  Orange  on  the 
throne,  Penn  was  accused  by  his  enemies  of  favor¬ 
ing  the  interests  of  the  exiled  monarch,  with  whom 
he  corresponded.  This  correspondence  afforded  no 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  these  calumnies,  but  Wil¬ 
liam  lent  them  too  ready  an  ear.  He  was  at  a  loss 
to  conceive  how  Penn  could  be  the  friend  of  James  in 
exile,  without  wishing  him  to  return  to  England  as 
a  sovereign.  These  false  charges,  together  with 
rumors  of  dissensions  in  the  colony,  furnished  the 
royal  government  a  pretext  for  depriving  Penn  of 
his  proprietary  rights. 

The  Quakers  became  divided  in  their  sentiments ;  a 
few  went  to  the  extreme  of  non-resistance,  saying, 
that  it  was  inconsistent  for  a  Quaker  to  engage  in 
public  affairs,  either  as  a  magistrate  or  as  a  legisla¬ 
tor.  The  prime  leader  in  this  was  George  Keith. 
After  disturbing  the  province  beyond  even  Quaker 
endurance,  he  was  indicted  by  the  grand  jury,  as  a 
disturber  of  the  peace  and  violator  of  the  laws.  He 
was  tried,  and  fined  for  using  improper  language ;  but 
lest  it  might  be  thought  a  punishment  for  the  free 
expression  of  opinion,  the  fine  was  remitted.  The 
cry  of  persecution  was  raised;  but  time  proved  the 
falsehood  of  the  charge. 

The  first  German  emigrants  to  Pennsylvania  were 
Quakers  in  their  religious  views — converts  of  Penn 
and  Barclay,  who  some  years  before  had  travelled  on 
the  continent  as  missionaries.  These  settled  Ger¬ 
mantown  and  the  vicinity.  Twenty  years  later,  the 
ravages  of  war  drove  many  Germans  from  their 
homes  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine.  These  emigrated 


COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


225 


in  great  numbers  first  to  England,  and  then  to  Penn¬ 
sylvania.  In  religious  views  they  were  German  Re¬ 
formed  and  Lutherans.  They  chose  fertile  districts, 
settled  together,  and  soon  became  celebrated  as  the 
best  farmers  in  America.  Their  numbers  gradually 
increased  by  accessions  of  emigrants  from  home. 
They  did  not  assimilate  with  the  English  colonists : 
preserved  inviolate  their  customs,  their  religion,  and 
their  language,  which  alone  they  permitted  to  be 
taught  their  children.  The  isolaton  of  a  population 
so  large,  had  an  important  influence  upon  the  people 
of  Pennsylvania,  on  their  system  of  education  by 
common  schools,  on  the  struggle  for  independence, 
and  since  politically. 

An  attempt  was  now  made  to  convert  Pennsylvania 
and  Delaware  into  one  royal  province,  over  which 
Benjamin  Fletcher  was  appointed  governor.  Some 
of  the  magistrates  refused  to  recognize  his  authority, 
and  some  resigned  their  offices.  When  the  Assembly 
met,  the  opposition  became  more  determined.  The 
members  of  this  body  deemed  the  laws  made  under 
the  charter  received  from  Penn  as  valid;  neither 
would  they  legislate  under  any  other  authority.  The 
charter  given  by  King  Charles,  said  they,  is  as  valid 
as  one  given  by  King  William ;  and  they  refused  to 
throw  a  suspicion  over  their  existing  laws  by  re-en¬ 
acting  them.  They  never  noticed  the  governor ;  with 
Quaker  coolness  passed  and  repassed  his  door,  and 
in  every  respect  ignored  his  presence. 

Meanwhile,  Penn  had  been  persecuted  and  an¬ 
noyed;  he  was  arraigned  three  times  on  frivolous 
charges,  which  were  as  often  not  sustained.  He  pre¬ 
pared  once  more  to  visit  his  colony.  Crowds  of  emi¬ 
grants  were  ready  to  go  with  him,  when  he  was  ar¬ 
rested  again.  Forced  to  go  into  retirement,  he  de¬ 
termined  to  wait  till  time  should  bring  him  justice. 
This  delay  ruined  the  remainder  of  his  fortune; 


226 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


death  entered  his  family,  and  robbed  him  of  his  wife 
and  eldest  son.  Treated  harshly  by  the  world,  and 
in  some  instances  by  those  whom  he  thought  his 
friends,  he  mildly  perserved;  never  changed  his 
views  of  right  and  justice;  conscious  of  the  purity 
of  his  motives,  he  serenely  waited  for  the  time  when 
his  character  should  be  vindicated  from  the  asper¬ 
sions  cast  upon  it.  Ere  long  that  time  came,  the 
charges  laid  against  him  were  proved  to  be  false, 
and  he  was  restored  to  his  proprietary  rights. 

The  want  of  means  delayed  his  visit  to  his  colony, 
but  he  sent  Markham  as  his  deputy.  He  called  an 
Assembly;  the  people,  alarmed  at  the  recent  en¬ 
croachments  upon  their  chartered  rights,  framed  for 
themselves  a  liberal  constitution.  The  Assembly 
would  levy  no  tax  until  this  was  granted.  When 
Penn  arrived,  he  recognized  as  valid  what  the  people 
had  done.  When  the  proposition  was  made  to  form 
a  “constitution  which  would  be  firm  and  lasting,”  he 
said  to  them,  “Keep  what  is  good  in  the  charter  and 
frame  of  government,  and  add  what  may  best  suit 
the  common  good.”  It  was  agreed  to  surrender  the 
old  charter,  and  in  its  place  frame  a  new  constitution. 
The  territories  wished  to  be  separate,  and  Delaware 
was  permitted  to  have  her  own  legislature;  though 
the  governor  was  to  be  the  same  as  that  of  Penn¬ 
sylvania.  The  two  governments  were  never  again 
united.  All  the  political  privileges  the  people  desired 
he  cheerfully  granted;  they  enjoyed  religious  liber¬ 
ty,  and  annually  elected  their  own  magistrates. 

A  large  emigration  began  about  this  period,  and 
continued  for  half  a  century,  to  pour  into  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  from  the  north  of  Ireland  and  from  Scotland. 
These  were  principally  Presbyterians.  They  settled 
in  the  eastern  and  middle  parts  of  the  colony,  and 
thence  gradually  extended  their  settlements  west, 
making  inroads  upon  the  forest. 


COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


227 


When  Penn  returned  to  the  colony  it  was  his  in¬ 
tention  to  remain  and  make  it  the  home  of  his  chil¬ 
dren.  Rumors,  however,  reached  the  province  that 
the  charters  of  all  the  colonies  were  to  be  taken 
away,  and  they  thrown  upon  the  tender  mercies  of 
court  favorites.  He  had  not  only  purchased  his  ter¬ 
ritory  from  Charles,  but  he  had  bought  the  land  from 
the  Indians  themselves;  he  was  therefore  the  sole 
owner  of  the  unoccupied  soil  of  Pennsylvania.  These 
rumors  rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to  return  to 
England.  Having  arranged  the  government  so  as 
best  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  people,  he  bade 
farewell  to  the  colony,  for  which  he  had  spent  the 
better  part  of  his  life,  and  for  which  he  breathed  his 
parting  blessing. 

The  virtues  of  William  Penn  saved  the  colony,  so 
dear  to  his  heart,  from  becoming  a  province  ruled  by 
royal  governors  and  impoverished  by  tax-gatherers. 
His  enemies  never  could  persuade  the  court  to  de¬ 
prive  him  of  his  property.  Though  in  his  old  age  so 
poor,  on  account  of  the  sacrifices  he  had  made,  as 
to  be  compelled  to  go  for  a  season  to  a  debtor's  prison, 
he  refused  to  sell  his  estates  in  America  unless  he 
could  secure  for  the  people  the  full  enjoyment  of 
their  liberties.  His  death  was  as  peaceful  as  his 
life  had  been  benevolent.  He  left  three  sons,  who 
were  minors.  For  them  the  government  was  admin¬ 
istered  by  deputies  until  the  Revolution,  when  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  purchased  their 
claims  for  more  than  half  a  million  of  dollars. 

Six  years  after  the  death  of  Penn;  there  came  to 
Philadelphia  a  youth  of  seventeen,  who  was  yet  to 
exert  a  great  influence,  not  merely  upon  that  colony 
but  upon  the  others,  while  his  fame  was  to  be  as 
great  in  the  world  of  science.  This  youth  was  Ben¬ 
jamin  Franklin,  a  native  of  Boston,  the  son  of  a 
tallow-chandler;  at  which  business,  till  ten  years  of 


228 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


age,  he  labored.  But  his  ardent  mind  craved  some¬ 
thing  far  beyond.  During  his  leisure  time,  and  till 
late  at  night,  he  read  and  appreciated  all  the  books 
he  could  borrow,  and  his  limited  means  could  pur¬ 
chase. 

At  twelve  he  was  bound  to  his  eldest  brother,  a 
printer,  to  learn  the  art.  There  he  experienced,  not 
the  kindness  of  a  brother  but  the  harshness  of  a 
tyrant.  Worn  out  with  this  oppression,  the  deter¬ 
mined  youth  sold  his  little  library  to  furnish  means  to 
travel,  and  without  giving  notice  to  his  friends,  left 
to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  wide  world.  He  travelled 
first  to  New  York,  where  he  tarried  but  a  day,  and 
then  passed  on  to  Philadelphia.  There  he  arrived  a 
stranger — his  money  reduced  to  a  single  dollar;  a 
penny  roll  served  him  for  his  first  dinner.  In  one 
of  the  two  printing  offices  of  the  city  he  sought  and 
obtained  employment.  Afterward  he  went  to  Lon¬ 
don,  where  he  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  same 
business;  then  returned,  but  everything  that  could 
be  of  avail  to  him  he  had  carefully  marked  and 
treasured  up.  In  truth  he  never  lost  a  moment; 
nothing  escaped  his  notice,  whether  in  the  natural  or 
political  world.  His  wonderful  combination  of  dili¬ 
gence,  keen  observation,  and  practical  wisdom,  fitted 
him  to  trace  the  current  of  human  affairs,  as  well  as 
deduce  laws  from  the  phenomena  of  nature. 

His  experiments  in  electricity,  the  discovery  of  its 
identity  with  lightning,  and  the  invention  of  the 
lightning  rod,  made  his  name  famous  in  the  universi¬ 
ties  and  courts  of  the  Old  World;  while  his  “Poor 
Richard's  Almanac,"  with  its  aphorisms  of  worldly 
wisdom,  penetrated  every  nook  and  corner  in  his  na¬ 
tive  land,  and  by  its  silent  influence  did  much  to  in¬ 
culcate  the  virtues  of  industry  and  economy. 

“The  first  native  of  America,  who  spoke  the  Eng¬ 
lish  language  with  classic  taste  and  elegance,"  his 


COLONIZATION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


229 


influence  was  impressed  upon  the  literature  of  the 
land.  He  established  the  first  American  periodical 
magazine,  conducted  a  newspaper,  and  wrote  popular 
pamphlets  on  topics  of  public  interest. 

Pennsylvania  seems  to  have  been  the  chosen  home 
of  the  Germans.  In  the  autumn  of  one  year  came 
twenty  ships  to  Philadelphia,  with  twelve  thousand 
German  emigrants  on  board.  The  two  following 
years  brought  each  nearly  as  many.  The  Rev.  Henry 
M.  Muhlenburg,  whose  influence  was  exerted  for 
fifty  years  in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  America,  had  already  commenced  his 
labors.  The  Swedish  churches  on  the  Delaware  sym¬ 
pathized  in  doctrine  with  the  Lutheran,  but  in  time 
the  former,  more  inclined  to  adopt  the  English 
language,  united  with  the  Episcopal  church. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

1622—1729 

COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 

The  First  Settlers — Grants  to  Royal  Favorites — The  “Grand 
Model” — Settlement  at  Cape  Fear  River — Sir  John  Yea- 
mans — Emigrants  Under  Sayle — The  Huguenots — The 
People  Independent — Rice — Churchmen  and  Dissenters — 
Manufactures  Prohibited — War  Between  England  and 
Spain — Failure  to  Capture  St.  Augustine — The  Ruin  of 
the  Appalachees — Indian  Wars — German  Emigrants — 
The  People  Repudiate  the  Authority  of  the  Proprietaries. 

We  have  now  to  speak  of  the  permanent  settlement 
of  the  land,  which  the  chivalric  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
endeavored  to  colonize;  and  to  which  the  noble 
Coligny  sent  his  countrymen  to  found  a  Protestant 
State,  and  where  they  perished  by  the  land  of  Span¬ 
ish  violence.  That  vast  region,  extending  from  the 
southern  border  of  Virginia  to  the  northern  border 
of  Florida,  was  represented  as  a  “delightsome  land” 
by  the  adventurers  who  had  explored  it.  Thither, 
during  the  space  of  forty  years,  emigrants  had  gone 
from  Virginia.  These  were  Dissenters,  a  term 
which  now  began  to  be  applied  to  all  protestants  not 
attached  to  the  church  of  England.  This  Church, 
established  by  law  in  Virginia,  exercised  great  illi¬ 
berally  toward  those  who  would  not  conform  to  its 
ceremonies;  and  many  Dissenters,  greatly  annoyed 
by  the  collectors  of  tythes,  emigrated  further  south. 
Among  them  was  a  company  of  Presbyterians  who 
settled  on  the  Chowan.  Berkeley,  govenor  of  Vir¬ 
ginia,  assumed  jurisdiction  over  them  by  appointing 
one  of  their  number,  William  Drummond,  governor. 
Drummond  was  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  a  devoted  ad- 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


231 


vocate  of  popular  liberty,  the  same  who  afterward, 
as  has  been  related,  returned  to  Virginia,  and  was  put 
to  death  by  Berkeley  for  the  part  he  took  in  Bacon's 
attempt  to  vindicate  the  rights  of  the  people. 

Charles  II.,  who  gave  away  vast  regions  with  as 
much  coolness  as  if  they  had  really  belonged  to  him, 
grantea  to  eight  of  his  favorites  a  charter  and  cer¬ 
tain  privileges,  to  repay  them  for  their  loyalty  in  re¬ 
storing  him  to  the  throne  of  his  father.  This  grant 
was  of  the  territory  extending  from  the  present 
southern  line  of  Virginia  to  the  St.  Johns,  in  Florida, 
and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  Many  of  these 
proprietaries  were  men  of  influence  in  their  day. 
Among  these  were  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  who  was 
prime  minister;  Sir  Ashley  Cooper,  better  known 
as  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury ;  General  Monk,  Duke  of 
Albermale,  who  took  an  active  part  in  the  restoration 
of  Charles ;  Sir  William  Berkeley,  whom  we  have  met 
in  Virginia  history ;  and  Sir  George  Carteret,  a  pro¬ 
prietary  of  New  Jersey.  They  professed  to  have 
“a  pious  zeal  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel,"  but  their 
conduct  has  led  the  world  to  believe  that  they  desired 
more  to  enrich  themselves  by  means  of  a  vast  land 
speculation. 

The  labor  of  framing  a  government  for  their  em¬ 
pire  in  the  New  World  they  intrusted  to  Shaftesbury, 
and  the  celebrated  philosopher,  John  Locke.  Their 
joint  production  by  pre-eminence  was  named  the 
“Grand  Model"  or  “Fundamental  Constitutions."  In 
it  the  right  to  rule  was  assumed  to  belong  only  to 
those  of  noble  blood;  and  therefore  its  principles 
were  pronounced  immortal.  It  made  provision  for 
Earls,  Barons,  and  Squires,  in  whose  hands,  under 
various  forms,  should  be  the  entire  administration  of 
affairs;  while  the  people  were  to  be  attached  to  the 
soil  as  tenants.  Those  who  owned  fifty  acres  of  land 
had  the  privilege  of  voting,  and  were  termed  free- 


232 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


men,  but  those  who  were  tenants  had  no  such  priv¬ 
ilege,  neither  could  they  ever  rise  above  that  station. 
To  the  freemen  an  Assembly  was  granted,  but  on 
such  conditions,  that  its  acts  were  under  the  control 
of  the  aristocracy.  Every  religion  was  professedly 
tolerated,  but  care  was  taken  to  declare  that  the 
Church  of  England  alone  was  orthodox.  Such  was 
the  frame  of  government  prepared  for  the  people 
of  the  Carolinas  by  the  united  wisdom  of  two  philos¬ 
ophers.  Had  it  been  designed  for  a  people  living  in 
the  Middle  Ages,  it  might,  at  least,  have  had  a  trial ; 
an  honor  to  which  the  “Grand  Model”  never  attained. 
It  was  as  easy  to  convert  log  cabins  into  castles,  as 
to  make  the  people  perpetual  tenants;  they  might 
be  made  nobles,  but  never  dependents.  Great  num¬ 
bers  of  them  had  left  Virginia  expressly  to  escape  re¬ 
straint  and  oppression;  and  they  had  very  little  re¬ 
spect  for  the  authority  of  the  proprietaries,  while 
they  certainly  did  not  fear  and  honor  the  king. 

The  contest  soon  began.  The  proprietaries  claimed 
the  territory  because  the  king  had  given  them  a 
charter,  and  they  demanded  quit-rents ;  the  settlers, 
already  in  possession,  claimed  their  lands  because 
they  had  purchased  them  from  the  Indians.  Why 
should  they  pay  quit-rents? 

A  few  years  before,  a  small  company  from  New 
England  had  formed  a  settlement  on  Cape  Fear 
river.  Every  inducement  was  held  out  to  retain 
these  settlers,  and  to  encourage  others  to  join  them. 
To  each  one  was  offered  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  at 
a  quit-rent  of  half  a  penny  an  acre ;  but  the  barren¬ 
ness  of  the  soil  neutralized  every  effort.  Many  of 
these  colonists  returned  home,  and  the  distress  of 
the  remainder  was  so  great,  that  contributions  in 
their  behalf  were  taken  up  in  New  England. 

Three  years  later  an  accession  was  made  to  this 
settlement  by  a  company  of  planters  from  the  Barba- 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


233 


does.  Sir  John  Yeamans,  their  leader,  was  appointed 
governor.  He  was  instructed,  in  order  to  induce 
others  to  come,  to  be  “very  tender’'  toward  the  New 
Englanders.  The  people  did  the  best  they  could  with 
their  pine  barrens,  by  making  staves  and  shingles ; 
these  they  sent  to  the  West  Indies :  a  trade  carried 
on  to  this  day  from  that  region.  It  was  enacted  that 
debts  contracted  out  of  the  colony  could  not  be  col¬ 
lected  from  the  emigrant  by  process  of  law  until  he 
had  been  a  resident  five  years.  It  thus  became  a 
partial  asylum  for  debtors. 

A  company  of  emigrants,  under  the  direction  of 
William  Sayle,  was  also  sent  by  the  proprietaries; 
and  to  superintend  their  own  interests  they  appoint¬ 
ed  Joseph  West  commercial  agent.  They  landed  first 
at  Port  Royal,  where  the  remains  of  the  fort  built 
by  the  Huguenots,  one  hundred  years  before  were 
still  visible.  It  had  been  called  Carolina,  in  honor  of 
the  reigning  king;  the  name  was  now  retained  in 
honor  of  Charles  of  England.  One  of  the  proprie¬ 
taries,  Carteret,  gave  his  name  to  the  colony.  For 
some  reason  they,  before  long,  removed  to  another 
situation  further  north,  where  they  formed  a  settle¬ 
ment  between  two  rivers,  which,  in  honor  of  Shaftes¬ 
bury,  were  named  the  Ashley  and  the  Cooper.  A  lo¬ 
cation  near  the  harbor,  and  better  suited  for  commer¬ 
cial  purposes,  was  afterward  noticed.  In  process  of 
time  a  village  grew  up  on  this  spot ;  it  is  now  known 
as  the  city  of  Charleston. 

The  colony  continued  to  increase  from  emigration. 
Dissenters  came,  hoping  to  enjoy  the  religious  rights 
denied  them  at  home;  Dutch  and  Germans  from 
Europe ;  Presbyterians  from  the  North  of  Ireland  as 
well  as  from  Scotland — the  latter  furnishing  great 
numbers  of  “Physicians,  clergymen,  lawyers,  and 
schoolmasters ;” — Churchmen  from  England,  who  ex¬ 
pected  their  church  to  be  established  in  accordance 


234 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


with  the  provisions  of  the  “Grand  Model emigrants 
from  New  York,  because  of  the  high-handed  mea¬ 
sures  of  the  English  governors ;  and  Huguenots,  un¬ 
der  the  patronage  of  Charles  II.  He  wished  to  intro¬ 
duce  the  culture  of  the  vine  and  olive,  the  raising  of 
silk  worms,  and  ultimately  the  manufacture  of  silk. 
Great  numbers  of  the  Huguenots,  from  Languedoc, 
in  the  south  of  France,  came  to  the  Carolinas,  at¬ 
tracted  by  the  genial  climate. 

A  law  granting  toleration  to  the  Protestants  of 
France  was  made  by  Henry  IV. :  this  was  the  famous 
Edict  of  Nantes,  thus  named  from  the  city  where  it 
was  given.  This  law  remained  in  force  almost  ninety 
years,  when  it  was  revoked  by  Louis  XIV.  He  had, 
as  long  as  he  could  enjoy  it,  spent  his  life  in  vice  and 
the  grossest  debauchery;  now  he  thought  to  silence 
the  clamors  of  conscience,  that  terrible  enemy  of 
wicked  men,  and  yet  win  heaven  by  converting  to  the 
Romish  church  his  Protestant  subjects.  Encouraged 
in  this  by  the  priests,  and  the  wiles  of  an  apostate 
woman,  he  let  loose  upon  these  industrious  and  well- 
disposed  people  the  terrors  of  persecution.  Why  go 
into  the  details  of  their  wrongs  ? — the  heart  sickens 
at  the  remembrance.  By  a  refinement  of  cruelty 
they  were  forbidden  to  flee  from  their  native  land, 
and  every  avenue  of  escape  was  guarded  by  their  in¬ 
veterate  enemies.  Yet,  after  encountering  unheard-of 
dangers  and  trials,  many  of  them  did  escape,  and 
more  than  five  hundred  thousand  fled  to  different 
parts  of  the  world.  In  the  New  World  they  were 
everywhere  welcomed  by  sympathizing  friends. 

The  Huguenots  were  so  far  superior  to  the  Catholic 
portion  of  the  French  nation,  in  intelligence  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  mechanic  arts,  that  nearly  all  the 
manufactures  of  the  country  were  in  their  hands. 
This  skill  they  carried  with  them,  and  they  thus  be¬ 
came  desirable  citizens  wherever  they  chose  to  settle. 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


235 


In  South  Carolina  their  influence  was  specially  felt. 
Their  quiet  and  inoffensive  manners  won  for  them 
respect;  their  integrity  and  industry  gave  them  in¬ 
fluence.  Ere  long  they  mingled  with  the  inhabitants ; 
and  their  descendants,  almost  universally,  when  the 
hour  of  trial  came,  were  found  on  the  side  of  justice 
and  liberty. 

The  original  inhabitants  of  the  Carolinas  were  pe¬ 
culiar  in  their  character.  Numbers  of  them  went 
thither  from  the  other  colonies  to  avoid  restraint; 
they  refused  to  pay  taxes  to  the  proprietaries  or  to 
the  king,  or  duties  on  trade;  they  were  friendly  to 
the  buccaneers  or  pirates,  who  infested  the  Southern 
waters;  they  warred  against  the  Indians,  to  obtain 
captives  to  be  sent  to  the  West  Indies  and  sold  as 
slaves.  There  were  no  towns  in  the  colony;  the 
planters  were  scattered  along  the  streams  and  val¬ 
leys.  There  were  no  roads;  they  travelled  along 
paths  through  the  woods,  known  only  by  the  blazed 
trees,  or  on  the  rivers  by  means  of  row-boats.  The 
proprietaries  soon  saw  the  impossibility  of  inducing 
a  people  so  free  and  fearless  to  conform  to  a  govern¬ 
ment  under  the  “Grand  Model.” 

Sir  John  Yeamans,  who  had  been  appointed  gov¬ 
ernor,  brought  with  him,  on  his  return  from  Barba- 
does,  fifty  families,  and  nearly  two  hundred  slaves. 
This  was  the  commencement  of  negro  slavery  in 
South  Carolina.  The  slaves  increased  very  rapidly, 
and  in  a  few  years  so  many  had  been  introduced  that 
in  number  they  were  nearly  two  to  one  of  the  whites. 

Yeamans,  “a  sordid  calculator,”  had  been  impover¬ 
ished  in  England,  and  went  abroad  to  improve  his 
fortune.  He  took  special  pains  to  guard  his  own  in¬ 
terests  ;  for  this  reason  he  was  dismissed  by  the  pro¬ 
prietaries.  Under  his  successor,  the  wise  and  liberal 
West,  the  colony  flourished  for  some  years.  He,  too, 


236 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


was  dismissed,  not  because  he  favored  himself,  but 
because  he  favored  the  people. 

The  next  struggle  came,  when  an  attempt  was 
made  to  levy  duties  on  the  little  trade  of  the  colony. 
The  people  considered  themselves  independent  of  the 
proprietaries  as  well  as  of  the  king,  and  under  no  obli¬ 
gation  to  pay  taxes  in  any  form.  That  there  was 
much  dissatisfaction  in  the  colony,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  in  the  space  of  six  years  it  had 
five  governors.  To  allay  these  troubles  James  Colle¬ 
ton,  a  brother  of  one  of  the  proprietaries,  was  sent 
as  governor.  But  when  he  attempted  to  collect  rents 
and  taxes  he  met  with  as  little  success  as  any  of  his 
predecessors:  the  people  seized  the  records  of  the 
province,  imprisoned  his  secretary,  and  boldly  defied 
him  and  his  authority. 

Though  many  of  the  settlers  left  Virginia  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  want  of  religious  privileges,  they  found 
but  very  few  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  country. 
Quaker  preachers  were  the  first  to  visit  the  Caro- 
linas;  afterward  George  Fox  himself  carried  them 
the  truth  as  he  believed  it.  The  people  warmly  wel¬ 
comed  the  messenger  of  the  gospel.  The  influence  of 
this  visit  was  to  strengthen  the  hearts  of  his  follow¬ 
ers,  and  to  make  many  converts.  The  Quakers, 
everywhere  the  friends  of  popular  rights,  exerted 
much  influence  against  the  arbitrary  rule  of  the  pro¬ 
prietaries. 

There  arose  a  party  of  “Cavaliers  and  ill-livers,” 
whose  morals  were  fashioned  after  those  of  the  court 
of  the  profligate  Charles.  Opposition  was  excited  by 
their  high-handed  measures,  and  another  party 
sprang  into  existence ;  it  was  composed  of  the  Pres¬ 
byterians,  Quakers,  and  the  Huguenots,  who  had  re¬ 
cently  been  admitted  to  the  rights  of  citizenship. 
The  disputes  were  chiefly  in  relation  to  rents  and  land 
tenures. 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


237 


In  the  midst  of  this  confusion,  an  upright  Quaker, 
John  Archdale,  was  elected  governor.  He  assumed 
the  part  of  mediator,  and  attempted,  with  some  suc¬ 
cess,  to  reconcile  the  disputants.  In  selecting  his 
council  he  chose  men  of  all  parties,  and  by  various 
judicious  regulations  partially  allayed  the  strife. 
By  just  treatment  he  made  friends  of  the  Indians ;  he 
ransomed  and  sent  home  some  of  their  Indian  con¬ 
verts,  who  were  held  by  a  neighboring  tribe  as  slaves, 
and  thus  conciliated  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Augustine. 
The  kind  act  was  reciprocated;  the  Spaniards  re¬ 
stored  to  their  friends  some  English  sailors  ship¬ 
wrecked  on  their  coast. 

The  Dissenters  numbered  two-thirds  of  the  popu¬ 
lation,  yet,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  they  consented 
one  minister  of  the  Church  of  England  should  be 
maintained  at  the  public  expense.  Upon  one  occa¬ 
sion  the  Churchmen  and  aristrocracy  accidentally 
had  a  majority  of  one  in  the  Assembly;  they  mani¬ 
fested  their  gratitude  for  the  concession  just  men¬ 
tioned,  by  depriving  the  Dissenters  of  all  their  polit¬ 
ical  privileges;  they  made  the  Church  of  England 
the  established  church,  to  be  maintained  at  the  pub¬ 
lic  expense,  and  proceeded  to  divide  the  colony  into 
parishes,  to  which  the  “Society  for  the  Propogation 
of  the  Gospel”  was  to  appoint  pastors.  The  aggrieved 
people  appealed  to  the  House  of  Lords  for  redress ; 
and  the  intolerant  act  of  the  Legislature  was  declared 
to  be  null  and  void.  The  law  disfranchising  Dissent¬ 
ers  was  repealed,  that  granting  a  support  of  the 
Church  of  England  remained  in  force  till  the  Revolu¬ 
tion. 

Notwithstanding  these  difficulties  the  colony  pros¬ 
pered,  and  increased  in  number  from  immigration. 
Among  these  a  company  from  Massachusetts  formed 
a  settlement  twenty  miles  back  of  Charleston.  Dur¬ 
ing  Archdale's  administration,  the  captain  of  a  ship 


238 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


from  Madagascar  gave  him  some  rice,  which  he  dis¬ 
tributed  among  the  planters  to  be  sown.  The  ex¬ 
periment  was  successful,  and  soon  Carolina  rice  was 
celebrated  as  the  best  in  the  world.  The  fur  trade 
with  the  Indians  was  also  profitable,  while  the  forest 
produced  their  share  of  profit  in  lumber  and  tar. 

The  colonists  attempted  to  manufacture  domestic 
cloths  to  supply  their  own  wants ;  an  enterprise  they 
were  soon  compelled  to  abandon.  The  manufactu¬ 
rers  and  merchants  of  England  complained,  as  they 
themselves  wished  to  enjoy  the  profits  that  would 
raise  from  supplying  them.  Parliament  passed  an 
act  forbidding  woolen  goods  to  be  transported  from 
one  colony  to  another,  or  to  any  foreign  port.  This 
unrighteous  law,  as  was  designed,  broke  up  nearly 
all  colonial  trade  and  manufactures,  and  gave  the 
English  trades  and  manufactures  the  monopoly  of 
both.  We  shall  see  how  this  policy  affected  all  the 
colonists.  In  the  Carolinas,  they  could  only  engage 
in  planting,  and  a  new  impulse  was  given  to  the  slave 
trade. 

War  had  arisen  between  England  and  Spain,  and 
their  children  in  the  New  World  unfortunately  took 
up  arms  against  each  other.  James  Moore,  who  was 
now  governor  of  Carolina,  undertook  an  expedition 
against  St.  Augustine.  He  is  represented  as  a 
“needy,  forward,  ambitious  man,”  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  kidnapping  Indians  and  selling  them  as 
slaves :  now  he  hoped  to  plunder  the  Spaniards  at  St. 
Augustine.  He  pressed  some  vessels  into  his  service, 
and  set  sail  with  a  portion  of  the  troops,  and  sent 
others  with  the  Indian  allies  by  land.  The  town  was 
easily  taken,  but  the  soldiers  retired  to  a  well  fortified 
fort,  and  defied  the  besiegers.  Moore  must  send  to 
the  island  of  Jamaica  for  cannon,  to  enable  him  to 
take  the  fort.  Meanwhile  an  Indian  runner  had  sped 
through  the  forest  to  Mobile,  and  informed  the 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


239 


French  settlers  there  of  what  was  going  on.  They 
sent  word  to  Havana.  We  may  judge  the  surprise  of 
Moore,  when  he  saw  two  Spanish  men-of-war  come 
to  rescue  St.  Augustine,  instead  of  the  vessel  he  ex¬ 
pected  from  Jamaica.  He  immediately  abandoned 
his  supplies  and  stores,  and  made  his  way  by  land  as 
best  he  could,  to  Charleston.  The  colony,  by  this  un¬ 
wise  and  wicked  expedition,  only  gained  a  debt  which 
pressed  heavily  upon  the  people  for  years. 

The  Appalachees  of  Florida,  under  the  influence  of 
Spanish  priests,  had  become  converts  to  Romanism ; 
they  built  churches,  and  began  to  cultivate  the  soil 
and  live  in  villages.  As  free  intercourse  existed  be¬ 
tween  Florida  and  Louisiana;  the  English  colonists 
professed  alarm  at  the  influence  the  French  and 
Spaniards  might  have  over  the  Indians  of  that  re¬ 
gion.  This  furnished  an  excuse  for  the  ambitious 
Moore  to  lead  an  expedition  against  these  inoffensive 
Indians,  whose  only  crime  was,  that  they  were  will¬ 
ing  to  be  taught  religion  and  agriculture  by  Spanish 
priests.  With  about  fifty  whites  and  one  thousand 
friendly  Indians,  he  went  through  the  wilderness, 
away  across  the  State  of  Georgia,  down  on  the  Gulf 
to  Appalachee  Bay.  The  first  intimation  the  Indians 
had  of  this  freebooting  expedition  was  an  attack 
upon  their  village,  one  morning  at  daylight.  The  as¬ 
sailants  met  with  so  warm  a  reception,  that  at  first 
they  were  forced  to  retire,  but  not  until  they  had  set 
fire  to  a  church.  There  happened  to  be  in  the  bay  a 
Spanish  ship,  whose  commander  the  next  day,  with 
a  few  white  men  and  four  hundred  Indians,  made 
an  attack  on  the  invaders,  but  he  was  defeated.  The 
Indian  villages  were  now  destroyed,  the  churches 
plundered  of  their  plate,  and  numbers  of  Indians 
taken  captive,  and  removed  to  the  banks  of  the  Alta- 
maha,  while  their  own  country  was  given  to  the  Sem- 
inoles,  the  allies  of  the  invaders.  Thus  the  English 


240 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


placed  Indians  friendly  to  themselves  between  the 
Spanish  and  French  settlements,  while  in  virtue  of 
this  expedition  they  claimed  the  soil  of  Georgia. 
More  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  after¬ 
ward,  the  descendants  of  these  Seminoles  were  re¬ 
moved  beyond  the  Mississippi.  Even  then  the  ruins 
of  churches  marked  the  stations  of  the  Spanish  mis¬ 
sions  among  the  Appalachees. 

The  next  year  brought  Charleston  two  unexpected 
enemies — a  malignant  fever,  and  while  it  was  raging, 
a  squadron  of  Spanish  and  French  ships  to  avenge 
the  attack  upon  the  Appalachees.  The  people,  under 
William  Rhett  and  Sir  Nathaniel  Johnson,  were  soon 
ready  to  meet  them.  When  they  landed,  they  were 
opposed  at  every  point,  and  driven  back.  A  French 
ship  was  captured;  and  of  the  eight  hundred  men 
who  landed,  more  than  three  hundred  were  either 
killed  or  taken  prisoners.  This  victory  was  looked 
upon  as  a  great  triumph. 

In  this  conflict  the  Huguenots  performed  well  their 
part.  An  unusual  number  of  them  had  settled  in 
Charleston ;  here  they  founded  a  church,  its  forms  of 
worship  the  same  as  those  to  which  they  were  ac¬ 
customed  at  home.  This  church  still  remains,  the 
only  one  in  this  land  that  has  preserved  inviolate 
these  pristine  forms. 

A  general  effort  was  now  made  to  extend  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  the  Church  of  England  in  the  colonies. 
The  politic  William  of  Orange  looked  upon  the  project 
with  a  favorable  eye.  A  “Society  for  the  Propaga¬ 
tion  of  the  Gospel  in  foreign  parts”  was  formed  in 
England.  Its  object,  the  conversion  of  the  Indians, 
was  worthy;  but  at  this  time,  by  means  of  worldly 
men  and  politicians,  its  influence  was  directed  to  the 
establishment  of  the  Church  of  England  in  all  the 
American  colonies.  The  project  everywhere  met 
with  great  opposition  except  in  Virginia;  there  the 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


241 


dissenters  were  few  in  number.  This  society  found¬ 
ed  many  churches  in  the  colonies,  which  remain 
even  to  this  day. 

North  Carolina  was  called  the  “Sanctuary  of  Run¬ 
aways,”  a  “land  where  there  was  scarcely  any  gov¬ 
ernment,”  with  a  population  made  up  of  Presbyter¬ 
ians,  Independents,  Quakers,  and  other  evil-disposed 
persons.”  Such  was  the  language  of  royalists  and 
those  opposed  to  freedom  in  religious  opinions.  The 
proprietaries  determined  to  establish  the  Church  of 
England,  and  maintain  it  at  public  expense.  Those 
who  refused  to  conform  to  this  law  were  debarred 
from  holding  offices  of  trust.  The  people  did  refuse, 
and  soon  there  “was  but  one  clergyman  in  the  whole 
country ;”  and  those  in  favor  of  freedom  in  religious 
opinions,  were  stigmatized  as  a  “rabble  of  profligate 
persons.”  These  tyrannies  finally  led  to  open  rebel¬ 
lion  on  the  part  of  the  people,  who  wished  to  govern 
themselves,  and  when  unmolested  did  it  well. 

Thus  far  North  Carolina  had  escaped  the  horrors 
of  Indian  warfare.  There  were  many  tribes  west 
and  south  of  their  territory.  The  greater  part  of 
the  region  now  occupied  by  the  States  of  Georgia  and 
Alabama,  was  the  home  of  the  Creeks  or  Muscogees, 
numbering  nearly  thirty  thousand. 

The  territory  of  the  Yamassees  lay  immediately 
west  of  the  settlement  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Savannah.  In  the  vicinity  were  the  Catawbas,  on 
the  river  which  perpetuates  their  name.  West  of 
these,  a  mountaineer  tribe,  the  Cherokees,  roamed 
through  the  beautiful  valleys  of  the  upper  Tennessee, 
while  they  claimed  as  their  hunting  grounds  the  re¬ 
gions  north  of  them  to  the  Kanawha  and  the  Ohio. 

A  great  change  had  come  over  the  powerful  tribes 
along  the  coast.  The  Hatteras  tribe,  which,  in 
Raleigh's  time,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years 
before,  numbered  nearly  twenty  thousand,  was  now 


242 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


reduced  to  less  than  one  hundred.  Some  tribes  had 
entirely  disappeared;  had  retired  farther  back  into 
the  wilderness,  or  become  extinct.  Vices  copied  from 
the  white  man  had  wrought  their  ruin. 

The  Tuscaroras,  a  warlike  tribe,  whose  ancestors 
had  emigrated  from  the  north,  became  alarmed  at 
the  encroachments  of  the  colonists  upon  their  lands. 
They  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  regain  their 
beautiful  valleys. 

A  company  of  German  exiles  from  the  Rhine  had 
come  under  the  direction  of  De  Graff enried.  The 
proprietaries  assigned  them  lands  that  belonged  to 
the  Indians.  Lawson,  the  surveyor-general  of  the 
province,  and  Graff  enried,  when  on  an  exploring  tour 
up  the  Neuse,  were  seized  by  a  party  of  Tuscaroras, 
who  hurried  them  on,  day  and  night,  to  one  of  their 
villages.  There  several  chiefs  of  the  tribe  held  a 
council,  and  discussed  the  wrongs  they  had  suffered 
from  the  English.  They  finally  determined  to  burn 
the  man,  who  with  compass  and  chain  had  marked 
out  their  lands  into  farms  for  the  settlers.  When 
Graffenried  made  known  to  them  that  he  had  been 
only  a  short  time  in  the  country;  that  he  was  the 
“chief  of  a  different  tribe  from  the  English,”  and 
moreover  promised  to  take  no  more  of  their  lands, 
they  did  not  put  him  to  death  with  Lawson.  He  was 
kept  a  prisoner  five  weeks,  and  then  permitted  to  re¬ 
turn  home.  During  this  time,  the  Tuscaroras,  and 
their  allies  the  Corees,  had  attacked  the  settlements 
on  the  Roanoke  and  Pamlico  sound.  The  carnage 
continued  for  three  days,  and  many  of  the  poor  peo¬ 
ple,  who  had  fled  from  persecution  at  home,  perished 
by  the  tomahawk  in  the  land  of  their  adoption. 

The  people  appealed  to  Virginia  and  to  South  Caro¬ 
lina  for  aid.  Only  a  part  of  the  Tuscaroras  had  en¬ 
gaged  in  the  attack.  With  another  portion  of  the 
tribe,  Spotswood,  governor  of  Virginia,  made  a  treaty 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


243 


of  peace, — the  only  assistance  he  could  give.  Gov¬ 
ernor  Craven  of  South  Carolina  sent  to  their  aid  a 
small  force,  and  a  number  of  friendly  Indians.  These 
drove  the  Tuscaroras  to  their  fort  and  compelled 
them  to  make  peace.  These  same  troops,  as  they 
were  returning  home,  basely  violated  the  treaty  just 
made ;  attacked  some  Indian  towns,  and  seized  their 
inhabitants  to  sell  them  as  slaves.  The  war  was  of 
course  renewed.  The  Tuscaroras,  driven  from  one 
place  of  concealment  to  another,  and  hunted  for  their 
scalps  or  for  slaves,  finally  abandoned  their  fair  lands 
of  the  south;  emigrated  across  Virginia  and  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  to  the  home  of  their  fathers,  and  there,  at  the 
great  council-fire  of  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  on 
Oneida  lake  in  New  York,  were  admitted  into  that 
confederacy,  of  which  they  became  the  sixth  nation. 
At  this  time,  the  people  of  Pennsylvania  complained 
of  the  importation  of  these  captives  into  their  colony. 
A  law  was  therefore  enacted,  forbidding  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  “negroes  and  slaves,  as  exciting  the  sus¬ 
picion  and  dissatisfaction  of  the  Indians  of  the  prov¬ 
ince.” 

The  war  seemed  to  be  ended,  and  the  traders  of 
South  Carolina  especially,  extended  their  traffic  with 
the  tribes  who  lived  in  the  region  between  that  col¬ 
ony  and  the  Mississippi.  Soon  after,  these  traders 
were  driven  from  the  villages  of  some  of  the  more 
western  tribes.  This  was  attributed  to  the  influence 
of  the  French  of  Louisiana. 

The  Yamassees,  whom  we  have  seen  in  alliance 
with  the  colonists  against  the  Tuscaroras,  when  they 
hoped  to  obtain  captives,  now  renewed  their  friend¬ 
ship  with  the  Spaniards,  with  whom  they  had  been  at 
variance, — for  they  hated  the  priests,  who  attempted 
to  convert  them.  They  induced  the  Catawbas,  the 
Creeks  and  the  Cherokees,  who  had  also  been  allies 
of  the  colonists  against  the  Tuscaroras,  to  join  them. 


244 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


This  alliance  was  likewise  attributed  to  Spanish  and 
French  influence.  Governor  Spotswood  seems  to 
have  revealed  the  truth,  when  he  wrote  to  the  “Board 
of  Trade”  in  London,  that  “the  Indians  never  break 
with  the  English  without  gross  provocation  from 
persons  trading  with  them.”  These  tribes  had  been 
looked  upon  as  “a  tame  and  peaceable  people,”  and 
fair  game  for  unprincipled  traders. 

The  savages  cunningly  laid  their  plans,  and  sud¬ 
denly,  one  morning,  fell  upon  the  unsuspecting  set¬ 
tlers,  killed  great  numbers  and  took  many  prisoners. 
The  people  fled  toward  the  sea-shore.  A  swift  run¬ 
ner  hastened  to  Port  Royal  and  alarmed  the  inhabit¬ 
ants,  who  escaped  as  best  they  could  to  Charleston. 
The  Indians  continued  to  prowl  around  the  settle¬ 
ments,  and  drove  the  inhabitants  before  them,  until 
the  colony  was  on  the  verge  of  ruin. 

The  enemy  received  their  first  check  from  forces 
sent  from  North  Carolina.  Governor  Craven  acted 
with  his  usual  energy,  he  raised  a  few  troops  and 
went  to  meet  the  savage  foe.  The  contest  was  long 
and  severe ;  in  the  end  the  Indian  power  was  broken. 
The  Yamassees  emigrated  to  Florida,  where  they 
were  welcomed  with  joy  by  the  Spaniards  at  St. 
Augustine.  The  other  tribes  retired  further  into  the 
wilderness.  Yet  war-parties  of  the  Yamassees  con¬ 
tinued,  for  years,  to  make  incursions  against  these 
frontier  settlements,  and  kept  them  in  a  state  of 
alarm. 

The  proprietaries  made  no  effort  to  protect  the 
colonists,  or  to  share  the  expense  of  the  war.  The 
latter  at  length  determined,  as  they  must  defend 
themselves,  also  to  manage  their  own  affairs,  and 
they  resolved  “to  have  no  more  to  do  with  the  pro¬ 
prietaries,  nor  to  have  any  regard  to  their  officers.” 
On  the  other  hand,  the  proprietaries  complained  that 
the  “people  were  industriously  searching  for  grounds 


COLONIZATION  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 


245 


of  quarrel  with  them,  with  the  view  of  throwing  off 
their  authority.”  The  matter  was  brought  before 
Parliament,  which  declared  the  charter  of  the  pro¬ 
prietaries  to  be  forfeited. 

Francis  Nicholson,  who  for  many  years  had  been 
experimenting  as  a  colonial  governor,  and  as  he  said, 
“been  falsely  sworn  out  of  Virginia  and  lied  out  of 
Nova  Scotia,”  was  appointed  provisional  governor. 
He  was  not  an  example  of  good  temper,  and  much  less 
of  good  morals.  He  made  a  treaty  with  the  Chero- 
kees,  who  were  to  permit  only  Englishmen  to  settle 
on  their  lands ;  and  with  the  Creeks,  whose  hunting- 
grounds  were  to  extend  to  the  Savannah.  He  had 
battled  against  popular  rights  in  the  north,  now  he 
thought  best  to  make  his  path  easy,  and  he  confirmed 
all  the  laws  passed  by  the  revolutionary  Assembly. 
However,  when  he  left  the  country  he  mourned  over 
the  “spirit  of  commonwealth  notions  which  pre¬ 
vailed,”  as  the  result,  as  he  said,  of  intercourse  with 
the  New  Englanders,  who,  at  this  time,  were  busily 
engaged  in  trading  with  the  Carolinas. 

These  disputes  were  at  length  ended  by  an  act  of 
Parliament.  Seven  of  the  proprietaries  sold  out 
their  claims  to  the  government  of  England.  The 
two  Carolinas  were  now  separated,  and  a  royal  gov¬ 
ernor  appointed  for  each. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

1732—1750 

COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA 

Founded  in  Benevolence — Oglethorpe — First  Emigration — Sa¬ 
vannah — Encouragements — Germans  from  the  Western 
Alps — Augusta — The  Moravians — Scotch  Highlanders — • 
The  Wesleys — Whitefield,  His  Orphan  House — War  with 
Spain;  Its  Causes — Failure  to  Capture  St.  Augustine — 
Repulse  of  the  Spanish  Invaders — The  Colony  Becomes  a 
Royal  Province. 

We  have  seen  some  colonies  founded  as  asylums 
for  the  oppressed  for  conscience"  sake,  and  others 
the  offspring  of  royal  grants  to  needy  courtiers, — 
bankrupt  in  fortune,  and  sometimes  in  morals,  seek¬ 
ing  in  their  old  age  to  retrieve  for  the  follies  of  their 
youth.  It  is  now  a  pleasure  to  record  the  founding  of 
an  asylum  not  alone  for  the  oppressed  for  conscience" 
sake,  but  for  the  victims  of  unrighteous  law — a  col¬ 
ony  the  offspring  of  benevolence;  the  benevolence  of 
one  noble-hearted  man ; — one  who,  born  in  affluence, 
devoted  his  wealth,  his  mind  and  his  energies  to  the 
great  work.  James  Edward  Oglethorpe,  “the  poor 
man’s  friend,""  “a  Christian  gentleman  of  the  Cava¬ 
lier  school,""  had  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate  who 
were  immured  within  prison  walls,  not  for  crime,  but 
for  debt.  He  labored  to  have  repealed  the  laws  au¬ 
thorizing  such  imprisonment,  and  to  reform  the  en¬ 
tire  prison  discipline  of  England. 

His  efforts  did  not  end  here ;  he  desired  to  provide 
in  America  an  asylum  for  those  who  were,  while  in 
their  own  land,  at  the  mercy  of  hard-hearted  cred¬ 
itors,  as  well  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  poor,  where 
comfort  and  happiness  might  be  the  reward  of  in- 


COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA 


247 


dustry  and  virtue.  There  were,  at  this  time,  in  Eng¬ 
land,  more  than  four  thousand  men  in  prison  for 
debt,  with  no  hope  of  relief.  Through  his  exer¬ 
tions,  “multitudes  were  restored  to  light  and  free¬ 
dom,  who  by  long  confinement  were  strangers  and 
helpless  in  the  country  of  their  birth.” 

Others  became  interested  in  his  schemes  of  benev¬ 
olence,  and  a  petition  numerously  signed  by  men  of 
influence  and  family  was  presented  to  the  king. 
They  asked  a  charter  to  colonize  the  territory  south 
of  the  Savannah  river,  then  included  in  Carolina, 
with  unfortunate  debtors  and  with  Protestants  from 
the  continent  of  Europe.  A  grant  was  given  by 
George  II.  of  the  region  lying  between  the  Savannah 
and  the  Altamaha,  and  from  their  head  springs  west 
to  the  Pacific.  The  territory  was  to  be  known  as 
Georgia.  It  was  given  “in  trust  for  the  poor”  to 
twenty-one  trustees  for  the  space  of  twenty-one 
years.  The  trustees  manifested  their  zeal  by  giving 
their  services  without  any  reward. 

The  climate  of  this  region  was  thought  to  be  very 
favorable  for  the  raising  of  silk- worms,  and  the  culti¬ 
vation  of  the  grape.  Merchants,  therefore,  who 
could  not  be  otherwise  influenced,  were  induced  to 
favor  the  cause  by  hopes  of  gain.  The  “free  exer¬ 
cise  of  religion”  was  guaranteed  to  all  “except 
papists.”  Under  no  conditions  was  land  to  be  grant¬ 
ed  in  tracts  of  more  than  five  hundred  acres.  This 
was  designed  to  enable  the  poor  to  become  owners  of 
the  soil,  and  to  prevent  the  rich  from  monopolizing 
the  best  lands. 

Much  interest  was  taken  in  this  new  field  of  be¬ 
nevolence,  and  donations  were  made  by  all  classes  of 
society.  What  a  transition  for  the  poor  debtor !  He 
was  to  exchange  the  gloomy  walls  of  a  prison  for  a 
home  in  that  delightful  land,  where  grim  poverty 
never  would  annoy  him  more !  It  was  determined  to 


248 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


take  as  colonists  only  the  most  needy  and  helpless, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  exclude  those  of  bad  morals. 

Thirty-five  families,  numbering  altogether  one 
hundred  and  fifty  persons,  embarked  for  their  new 
homes.  While  others  gave  to  the  enterprise  their 
substance  and  influence,  Oglethorpe  volunteered  to 
superintend  the  colony  in  person.  They  took  with 
them  a  “clergyman  with  Bibles,  Prayer-books,  and 
Catechisms,”  and  one  person  skilled  in  the  raising  of 
silk.  The  company  landed  first  at  Charleston;  by  a 
vote  of  the  Assembly,  they  were  welcomed,  and  pre¬ 
sented  with  supplies  of  rice  and  cattle. 

Oglethorpe  hastened  to  explore  the  Savannah.  On 
a  bluff  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth  he  planted  his 
colony.  This  bluff  was  already  in  the  possession  of 
a  small  band  of  Indians,  from  whom  it  was  named 
Yamacraw.  Through  the  efforts  of  Mary  Musgrove, 
who  acted  as  interpreter,  the  bluff  was  purchased. 
This  woman  was  a  daughter  of  a  Uchee  chief,  and 
had  been  sent  to  school  in  Charleston,  where  she  had 
married  an  English  trader. 

The  colonists  immediately  began  to  build  and  for¬ 
tify  their  town  which  they  named  Savannah,  the  In¬ 
dian  name  of  the  river.  The  town  was  regularly  laid 
out,  with  wide  streets  and  spacious  squares.  A  gar¬ 
den  of  some  acres  was  inclosed  for  a  nursery  of  mul¬ 
berry  trees  to  feed  silk  worms;  and  here  also  ex¬ 
periments  were  made,  in  order  to  introduce  Euro¬ 
pean  fruits. 

The  aged  chief  of  the  little  band  of  Indians  wished 
protection.  He  presented  to  Oglethorpe  a  buffalo 
skin,  on  the  inside  of  which  was  painted  an  eagle. 
“The  eagle,1 ”  said  he,  “signifies  speed,  and  the  buffalo 
strength ;  the  English  are  swift  as  the  eagle  for  they 
have  flown  over  vast  seas ;  they  are  as  strong  as  the 
buffalo,  for  nothing  can  withstand  them ;  the  feath¬ 
ers  of  the  eagle  are  soft,  and  signify  love ;  the  buffa- 


COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA 


249 


lo’s  skin  is  warm,  and  signifies  protection ;  therefore, 
I  hope  the  English  will  love  and  protect  our  little 
families.”  The  hopes  of  poor  old  Tomochechi  and 
his  tribe  were  doomed  to  be  sadly  disappointed. 

The  genial  climate  delighted  the  colonists,  and  they 
went  cheerfully  to  work,  building  their  houses.  The 
chiefs  of  the  lower  Creeks  came  and  made  a  treaty ; 
they  acknowledged  the  English  rule  from  the  Savan¬ 
nah  to  the  St.  John’s,  and  west  to  the  Chattahooche, 
and  gave  them  permission  to  cultivate  the  lands  not 
used  by  their  own  people.  Then  came  a  messenger 
from  the  distant  Cherokees,  pledging  the  friendship 
of  his  tribe.  Soon  after  came  a  Choctaw  chief  say¬ 
ing,  “I  have  come  a  great  way ;  I  belong  to  a  great 
nation;  the  French  are  among  us;  we  do  not  like 
them ;  they  build  forts  and  trade  with  us ;  their  goods 
are  poor,  and  we  wish  to  trade  with  you.”  Thus  the 
way  was  opened  for  a  profitable  traffic  with  the 
tribes  north  of  the  gulf,  and  west  to  the  Mississippi. 

The  fame  of  this  delightful  land  reached  Europe, 
and  penetrated  even  into  the  fastness  of  the  western 
Alps.  There,  long  ages  before  the  Reformation,  a 
pure  gospel  had  been  taught.  Now  a  persecution  was 
raging,  and  the  sufferings  of  these  Christians,  now 
become  Lutherans,  deeply  enlisted  the  sympathies  of 
the  English  people.  These  Germans  were  invited  by 
the  “Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,”  to 
emigrate  to  Georgia,  where  they  could  be  free  from 
their  persecutors,  and  lands  were  offered  them ;  but 
they  rejoiced  more  than  all  in  the  opportunity  given 
them  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  Indians.  Money  was 
subscribed  by  the  benevolent  in  England  to  enable 
them  to  travel  from  Augsburg,  across  the  country  to 
Frankfort  on  the  Main.  Nearly  one  hundred  set  out 
on  their  pilgrimage ;  they  took  with  them,  in  wagons, 
their  wives  and  children;  their  Bibles  and  books  of 
devotion.  The  men  as  they  travelled  on  foot  be* 


250 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


guiled  the  toils  of  their  journey  by  singing  praises  to 
God,  and  offering  prayers  for  his  guiding  hand,  and 
his  blessing  on  their  enterprise.  They  passed  down 
the  Main  to  its  junction  with  the  Rhine  and  thence 
floated  down  to  Rotterdam,  where  they  were  joined 
by  two  clergymen,  Bolzius  and  Gronau.  They  sailed 
to  England,  and  were  there  met  and  encouraged  by 
a  committee  of  the  trustees,  and  thence  to  their  dis¬ 
tant  home  across  the  ocean.  The  faith  that  had 
cheered  them  on  their  native  mountains,  sustained 
them  amid  the  storms  of  the  Atlantic;  when,  dur¬ 
ing  a  terrible  tempest,  the  waves  broke  over  the  ship, 
and  caused  an  outcry  of  alarm  from  the  English,  they 
continued  their  devotions  and  calmly  sang  on.  When 
one  of  them  was  asked,  “Were  you  not  afraid?”  “I 
thank  God,  no,”  was  the  reply.  “But  were  not  your 
women  and  children  afraid?”  “No,  our  women  and 
children  are  not  afraid  to  die.” 

A  passage  of  fifty-seven  days  brought  them  to  re¬ 
ceive  a  hearty  welcome  at  Charleston  from  Ogle¬ 
thorpe,  and  in  less  than  a  week  they  were  at  their 
journey's  end.  A  suitable  place  had  been  chosen  for 
their  residence,  they  founded  a  village  a  short  dis¬ 
tance  above  Savannah,  and  significantly  named  it 
Ebenezer.  In  gratitude  they  raised  a  monumental 
stone  as  a  memento  of  the  goodness  of  God  in  thus 
bringing  them  to  a  land  of  rest.  They  were  joined 
from  time  to  time  by  others  from  their  native  land. 
By  their  industry  and  good  morals  they  secured  pros¬ 
perity,  and  also  the  respect  of  their  fellow-colonists. 

At  the  head  of  boat  navigation  on  the  Savannah 
the  town  of  Augusta  was  now  founded.  This  soon 
became  an  important  trading  post  with  the  Indians. 

Oglethorpe  gave  himself  unweariedly  to  the  work 
of  benefiting  those  he  governed.  The  success  of  the 
enterprise  may  be  safely  attributed  to  his  disinter¬ 
ested  labors.  “He,”  said  Governor  Johnson,  of  South 


COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA 


251 


Carolina,  “nobly  devotes  all  his  powers  to  save  the 
poor,  and  to  rescue  them  from  their  wretchedness.” 
After  the  residence  of  a  year  and  a  half  he  returned 
to  England,  taking  with  him  several  Indians  chiefs, 
and  raw  silk — the  product  of  the  colony — sufficient 
to  make  a  robe  for  the  queen. 

As  an  inducement  for  settlers,  the  trustees  offered 
to  each  one  who  should  emigrate,  at  his  own  expense, 
fifty  acres  of  lands.  On  these  conditions  came  a  num¬ 
ber  of  Moravians  or  United  Brethren,  with  the  in¬ 
tention  of  devoting  themselves  to  the  conversion  of 
the  Indians.  They  formed  a  new  settlement  on  the 
Ogeechee,  south  of  the  Savanah. 

The  same  benevolent  spirit  which  had  relieved  poor 
debtors  in  prison,  now  devised  measures  to  ward  off 
one  of  the  most  effective  causes  of  debt  and  wretch¬ 
edness  ;  and  accordingly  the  importation  of  rum  into 
the  colony  was  prohibited.  The  trustees  also  forbid 
negro  slavery,  “that  misfortune  of  other  planta¬ 
tions.”  They  did  not  wish  to  see  their  province 
“filled  with  blacks,  the  precarious  property  of  a  few.” 
They  looked  upon  it  as  cruel  and  inhuman,  and  in¬ 
jurious  to  the  “poor  white  settlers,”  for  whom,  in 
trust,  they  held  the  colony. 

The  next  year  Oglethorpe  returned,  with  more  emi¬ 
grants,  among  whom  was  a  party  of  Scotch  High¬ 
landers,  with  their  minister,  John  McLeod.  These 
founded  a  settlement  at  Darien,  on  the  Altamaha. 
There  likewise  came  two  young  men  as  preachers  to 
the  people,  and  as  missionaries  to  the  Indians.  These 
were  the  brothers  John  and  Charles  Wesley, — men 
of  ardent  piety  and  zealous  in  the  cause  of  religion, 
they  hoped  to  make  the  colony  eminent  for  its  re¬ 
ligious  character.  Enthusiastic  in  their  feelings,  and 
perhaps  a  little  wanting  in  discretion,  certainly  in 
experience,  they  were  soon  involved  in  trouble.  For 
a  time,  John  Wesley  drew  crowds  of  hearers;  places 


252  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

- Ui  L.. 

of  amusement  were  almost  deserted.  We  doubt  not 
that  he  spoke  the  truth  plainly,  and  in  accordance 
with  his  duty,  but  his  austere  manners  and  denun¬ 
ciation  of  sin  created  him  enemies.  In  one  case,  his 
severe  exercise  of  church  discipline  excited  bitter 
feeling  against  himself,  and  sympathy  for  the  vic¬ 
tim  of  his  injudicious  zeal.  Charles  Wesley  was,  for 
awhile,  the  secretary  of  Oglethorpe,  but  in  some  un¬ 
explained  manner  he  gave  offense  to  his  patron;  at 
length  an  explanation  took  place,  and  a  reconciliation. 
Kind  and  gentle  in  his  nature  he  was  unfitted  to  en¬ 
dure  the  hardships  to  be  encountered,  and  to  sympa¬ 
thize  with  the  unpolished  colonists  of  Georgia.  After 
a  residence  of  less  than  two  years,  the  Wesleys’  dis¬ 
appointed  in  their  hopes  of  doing  good  there,  left  the 
colony  forever.  In  their  native  land  they  became  the 
founders  of  the  denomination  of  Methodists,  who 
have  been,  in  that  very  colony,  as  well  as  in  others, 
among  the  foremost  in  carrying  the  gospel  to  desti¬ 
tute  settlements.  Thus  their  labors  were  blessed, 
their  prayers  were  answered,  and  their  hopes  re¬ 
alized  ;  but,  as  is  often  the  case  in  the  ways  of  Infinite 
Wisdom,  not  in  the  form  and  manner  in  which  they 
expected. 

Just  as  the  Wesleys,  on  their  return  home,  were 
passing  up  the  channel,  their  friend  and  fellow- 
laborer,  the  celebrated  George  Whitefield,  the  most 
eloquent  preacher  of  his  day,  was  leaving  England  to 
join  them  in  Georgia.  Whitefield  had  commenced 
preaching  when  a  ftiere  youth,  and  by  his  wonderful 
eloquence  drew  great  crowds.  He  first  preached  in 
the  prisons,  and  then  to  the  poor  in  the  open  fields. 
Now  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  visit  the  colonies.  When 
he  arrived  in  Georgia,  his  sympathies  were  much  en¬ 
listed  in  behalf  of  the  destitute  children,  left  orphans. 
He  visited  the  Lutherans  at  Ebenezer,  where  he 
noticed  their  asylum  for  poor  children,  and  deter- 


COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA 


253 


mined,  if  possible,  to  found  a  similar  one.  By  his 
fervent  zeal  in  the  cause  he  obtained  sufficient  funds 
in  England  and  America.  The  institution  was  found¬ 
ed  a  few  miles  from  Savannah.  During  his  lifetime 
it  flourished ;  at  his  death  it  began  to  languish,  and 
finally  passed  out  of  existence. 

The  Spaniards  were  not  pleased  with  the  encroach¬ 
ments  of  the  English  upon  what  they  deemed  their 
territory,  and  they  sent  commissioners  to  protest 
against  it,  and  to  demand  the  surrender  of  all  Georgia 
and  part  of  Carolina.  When  this  was  unheeded,  they 
prepared  to  expel  the  invaders.  There  were  other 
causes,  which  made  it  evident  that  war  would  soon 
take  place  between  the  mother  countries,  in  which 
the  colonies  would  certainly  become  involved. 

The  European  governments  restricted  the  com¬ 
merce  of  their  colonies  so  as  to  make  them  subserve 
their  own  interests.  Those  belonging  to  Spain  must 
trade  only  with  the  port  of  Cadiz,  and  the  merchan¬ 
dise  shipped  to  them  was  sold  at  enormous  prices. 
The  English  traders  persisted  in  smuggling  goods 
into  the  Spanish  ports.  To  accomplish  this  they  re¬ 
sorted  to  various  stratagems.  By  treaty,  an  English 
vessel  was  permitted  to  come  once  a  year  to  Porto- 
bello  and  dispose  of  her  cargo ;  but  this  vessel  was  fol¬ 
lowed  by  others;  they  came  in  the  night  time,  and 
slipped  in  more  bales  to  supply  the  place  of  those 
sold,  and  continued  to  do  this,  till  the  market  was 
supplied.  Sometimes,  under  the  pretense  of  dis¬ 
tress,  ships  would  run  into  Spanish  ports,  and  thus 
dispose  of  their  cargoes. 

Though  Spain  was  rich  and  feeble,  she  was 
haughty  and  cruel ;  and  when  any  of  these  worthies, 
who  were  engaged  in  violating  her  laws,  were  caught, 
they  were  severely  dealt  with.  Sometimes  they  were 
imprisoned,  and  sometimes  their  ears  were  cropped. 
This  exasperated  the  traders,  and  though  justly 


254 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


punished,  they  came  with  the  assurance  of  ill-treated 
men,  to  ask  protection  from  their  own  government. 
They  were  looked  upon  as  martyrs  to  the  cause  of 
free  commerce,  and  merchants,  in  defense  of  such 
men  as  these,  did  not  blush  to  clamor  for  war,  in  the 
face  of  justice  and  national  integrity.  In  truth,  the 
English  government  connived  at  this  clandestine 
trade,  and  secretly  rejoiced  at  the  advantage  gained 
over  her  rival.  By  this  connivance  at  injustice  she 
gave  her  own  colonies  a  lesson  on  the  subject  of  their 
trade  which,  in  less  than  half  a  century,  she  found, 
to  her  surprise,  they  had  fully  learned. 

Another  source  of  irritation  to  the  people  ®f  South 
Carolina,  was  that  slaves,  who  ran  away  to  Florida 
and  put  themselves  under  Spanish  protection,  were 
not  only  welcomed,  but  given  lands;  organized  into 
military  companies,  and  armed  at  the  public  expense. 
A  demand  made  upon  the  authorities  at  St.  Augus¬ 
tine  to  restore  the  runaways,  was  promptly  refused. 
Oglethorpe  hastened  to  England  to  make  prepara¬ 
tions  for  the  coming  contest,  and  returned  in  less 
than  a  year,  with  a  regiment  of  six  hundred  men, 
which  he  himself  had  raised  and  disciplined.  He  was 
now  prepared  to  defend  the  southern  boundary  of 
Georgia.  He  renewed  treaties  with  the  Indian  tribes 
north  of  the  Gulf  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississip¬ 
pi,  and  hoped  to  retain  them  in  his  interest.  War 
was  at  length,  declared  by  England  against  Spain, 
and  Oglethorpe  received  orders,  as  military  com¬ 
mander  in  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas,  to  invade  Flor¬ 
ida.  With  his  usual  energy,  he  hastened  to  Charles¬ 
ton  to  make  the  necessary  preparations.  Supplies 
were  voted  and  a  regiment  enlisted;  and,  joined  by 
Indian  allies,  he  set  out  to  lay  siege  to  St.  Augustine. 
He  found  the  garrison  much  more  numerous  than 
he  expected,  and  the  fortifications  stronger.  After 
a  short  siege,  the  Indians  began  to  desert,  and  the 


COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA 


255 


Carolina  regiment,  enfeebled  by  sickness,  returned 
home.  In  five  weeks  the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 
On  this  occasion,  Oglethorpe  exhibited  the  kindness 
of  his  nature;  he  endured  all  the  privations  of  the 
common  soldiers.  The  captives  taken  were  treated 
kinldy,  no  houses  were  burned,  and  but  little  property 
destroyed. 

This  war  had  a  very  bad  effect  upon  the  colony  of 
Georgia.  Instead  of  making  farmers  of  the  settlers, 
it  made  them  soldiers,  and  their  farms  were  neglect¬ 
ed.  The  Moravians,  who  were  religiously  opposed  to 
bearing  arms,  emigrated,  one  and  all,  to  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  where  they  founded  the  towns  of  Bethlehem 
and  Nazareth. 

It  was  ere  long  the  turn  of  Georgia  to  be  invaded. 
For  this  purpose,  the  Spaniards  at  Havana  and  St. 
Augustine  fitted  out  thirty-six  vessels  and  three 
thousand  troops.  The  commander,  Monteano,  in¬ 
stead  of  sailing  direct  to  Savannah,  became  entangled 
among  the  islands  near  the  mouths  of  the  St.  Mary 
and  the  Altamaha,  while  endeavoring  to  take  pos¬ 
session  of  one  or  two  insignificant  settlements. 
Oglethorpe  ascertained  the  intention  of  the  enemy, 
but  as  he  had  received  no  assistance  from  Carolina, 
was  ill  prepared  to  meet  them.  Having  but  eight 
hundred  men,  he  was  forced  to  retreat  from  Cumber¬ 
land  island  to  St.  Simons,  on  which  was  the  little 
town  of  Frederica,  the  special  object  of  the  Spanish 
attack. 

After  the  enemy  landed  he  went  to  surprise  them 
in  the  night,  but  as  he  approached  their  lines,  one  of 
his  soldiers,  a  Frenchman,  fired  his  gun,  rushed  into 
the  enemy's  camp,  and  gave  the  alarm.  Oglethorpe 
employed  stratagem  to  throw  suspicion  upon  the  de¬ 
serter  ;  he  wrote  him  a  letter,  in  which  he  addressed 
him  as  a  spy  for  the  English,  and  directed  him  to  in¬ 
duce  the  Spaniards  to  attack  them,  or  at  least  remain 


256  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

where  they  were  until  the  English  fleet  of  six  men- 
of-war,  which  had  sailed  from  Charleston,  should 
reach  St.  Augustine,  and  capture  it.  This  letter  he 
bribed  a  Spanish  prisoner  to  carry  to  the  Frenchmen. 
As  was  to  be  expected,  it  was  taken  immediately  to 
the  Spanish  commander,  and  the  Frenchman  soon 
found  himself  in  irons.  In  the  midst  of  the  alarm, 
some  Carolina  ships,  laden  with  supplies  for  Ogle¬ 
thorpe,  appeared  in  the  offing.  Thinking  these  the 
veritable  men-  of -war  mentioned  in  the  letter,  the  in¬ 
vaders  determined  to  attack  and  destroy  Frederica, 
before  they  should  sail  to  defend  St.  Augustine.  On 
the  way  they  fell  into  an  ambuscade,  and,  at  a  place 
since  known  as  the  “Bloody  Marsh,”  they  were  sig¬ 
nally  defeated.  The  following  night  they  embarked, 
and  sailed  to  defend  St.  Augustine  from  the  expected 
attack.  Thus  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas  were  saved 
from  ruin. 

The  following  year  Oglethorpe  left  the  colony  for¬ 
ever.  There  he  had  spent  ten  years  of  toil  and  self- 
denial  ;  he  had  for  his  reward  no  personal  benefit,  but 
the  satisfaction  of  founding  a  State,  and  of  leaving 
it  in  a  prosperous  condition.  The  form  of  govern¬ 
ment  was  changed  from  a  military  to  a  civil  rule, 
and  the  various  magistrates  were  appointed. 

In  time,  slavery  was  gradually  introduced.  Slaves 
were  at  first  hired  from  the  Carolinas,  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  for  one  hundred  years.  The  German 
settlers  were  industrious  and  frugal,  and  so  were  the 
Highlanders.  They  were  opposed  to  the  introduction 
of  slaves.  On  the  other  hand,  great  numbers  of  the 
English  settlers  were  idle  and  bankrupt  from  their 
improvidence;  “they  were  unwilling  to  labor,  but 
were  clamorous  for  privileges  to  which  they  had  no 
right.”  They  contended  that  rum  was  essential  to 
the  health  in  that  climate,  and  that  none  but  the 
slaves  could  cultivate  the  soil  of  Georgia;  and,  in 


COLONIZATION  OF  GEORGIA 


257 


seven  years  after  the  benevolent  Oglethorpe  left, 
slave  ships  brought  negroes  to  Savannah,  direct  from 
Africa. 

The  trustees,  when  the  twenty-one  years  for  which 
they  were  to  manage  the  “colony  for  the  poor”  were 
expired,  resigned  their  trust,  and  Georgia  became  a 
royal  province. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

1660—1688 

NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  IL 


The  Restoration — The  Commissioners — Progress  of  Trade — 
Causes  of  King  Philip’s  War — Death  of  Wamsutta — 
State  of  the  Colony — Attack  at  Swanzey — Philip  among 
the  Nipmucks — Attacks  on  Northfield,  and  on  Hadley — 
Goffe — The  Tragedy  at  Bloody  Brook — Philip  Among  the 
Narragansets — Their  Fort  Captured — The  Warriors  Take 
Revenge — Philip  Returns  to  Mount  Hope  to  Die — Dis¬ 
asters  of  the  War — James  II. — The  Charters  in  Danger — 
Andros  Governor;  His  Illegal  Measures;  Takes  Away  the 
Charter  of  Rhode  Island;  Not  So  Successful  at  Hartford 
— Andros  in  Jail — The  Charters  Resumed. 


The  first  intimation  of  the  restoration  of  Charles 
II.  was  brought  to  New  England  by  two  fugitives, 
Whalley  and  Goffe.  They  came  branded  as  regicides, 
for  they  sat  on  the  trial  of  Charles  I.  They  had  fled 
for  their  lives ;  ere  long  came  the  royal  commander 
to  deliver  them  up  to  their  pursuers,  that  they  might 
be  taken  back  to  England  and  there  punished.  But 
royal  commands  and  rewards  were  of  no  avail,  the 
stern  republicans  were  not  betrayed;  the  people 
gloried  in  protecting  them. 

Rumors  were  afloat  that  the  governments  of  all 
the  colonies  were  to  be  changed,  and  that  soon  armed 
ships  might  be  expected  in  the  harbor  of  Boston, 
sent  to  enforce  the  royal  authority.  After  a  year’s 
delay,  it  was  thought  prudent  to  proclaim  Charles  as 
king.  It  was  done  ungraciously,  as  all  manifesta¬ 
tions  of  joy  were  forbidden. 

From  time  to  time  intelligence  came  of  the  execu¬ 
tion  of  many  of  their  best  friends  in  England; 
among  these  were  Hugh  Peters  and  Sir  Harry  Vane : 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  II  259 


news  came  also  that  Episcopacy  was  again  in  power, 
and  that  more  than  two  thousand  clergymen  had 
been  driven  from  their  congregations  because  they 
would  not  conform.  At  length,  two  agents  were  sent 
to  conciliate  the  king,  and  to  make  guarded  profes¬ 
sions  of  loyalty,  as  well  as  to  ask  permission  to  make 
laws  against  the  Quakers. 

Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  had  both  received 
liberal  charters  from  Charles,  the  former  obtained 
principally  through  the  influence  of  the  younger  Win- 
throp.  Meantime  the  intolerance  of  Massachusetts 
had  raised  up  against  her  a  host  of  enemies,  who 
were  continually  whispering  their  complaints  into 
the  royal  ear.  The  alarm  was  presently  increased, 
by  information  that  commissioners  had  been  ap¬ 
pointed  to  inquire  into  the  affairs  of  the  colony.  To 
provide  for  the  future,  the  charter  was,  for  safe¬ 
keeping,  secretly  given  to  a  committee  appointed  by 
the  General  Court. 

When  the  commissioners  came,  they  outraged  the 
prejudices  of  the  people  by  having  the  Episcopal 
service  performed  in  Boston.  The  Puritans  observed 
the  evening  of  Saturday  as  holy  time ;  after  the  Jew¬ 
ish  custom,  they  commenced  their  Sabbath  at  sunset. 
As  if  to  annoy  them,  the  commissioners  habitually 
spent  their  Saturday  evenings  in  carousals.  They 
also  took  in  hand  to  redress  grievances,  and  invited 
all  those  who  had  complaints  to  make  against  the 
Massachusetts  colony,  to  bring  them  to  their  knowl¬ 
edge.  Rhode  Island  came  with  her  complaints,  and 
the  Narraganset  chiefs  with  theirs ;  but  the  General 
Court  cut  the  matter  short,  by  forbidding  such  pro¬ 
ceedings,  as  contrary  to  the  charter. 

The  laws  passed  by  the  mother  country  for  the  ex¬ 
press  purpose  of  crippling  the  trade  of  the  colonies, 
could  not  be  enforced,  and  Boston  especially  attracted 
attention  by  her  prosperous  commerce.  Industry 


260 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


and  temperance  insured  the  prosperity  of  the  people, 
and  they  increased  in  riches  and  in  numbers;  they 
also  found  means  to  indulge  their  taste,  and  began  to 
embellish  their  villages.  Massachusetts  traded  not 
only  with  the  other  colonies,  but  her  ships  were  found 
in  every  sea  where  commerce  invited,  and  not  only 
England  traded  with  her,  but  France  and  Spain,  Hol¬ 
land  and  Italy,  were  competitors  for  her  favors. 

For  forty  years  there  had  been  no  Indian  war  in 
New  England ;  the  fate  of  the  Pequods  was  not  for¬ 
gotten.  During  this  time  the  number  of  the  Indians 
had  not  diminished,  while  that  of  the  colonists  had 
greatly  increased.  Their  farms  had  extended  in 
every  direction;  they  gradually  absorbed  the  best 
lands  of  the  country,  and  crowded  the  Indians  down 
on  the  little  bays  and  peninsulas,  on  the  southern 
shore  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island.  This  pol¬ 
icy  was  openly  avowed,  as  thereby  they  could  be 
more  easily  watched. 

The  Wampanoags  and  Narragansets  were  especial¬ 
ly  aggrieved.  They  could  not,  without  great  exer¬ 
tion,  obtain  the  means  of  living ;  the  animals  which 
they  hunted,  had  been  nearly  all  driven  away,  and 
they  were  forced  to  depend  upon  fish,  and  of  these 
they  could  obtain  but  a  scanty  supply,  and  they  had 
not  learned  the  art  of  cultivating  the  soil,  but  in  a 
very  rude  manner. 

Massasoit,  the  friend  who  had  welcomed  the  early 
Pilgrims,  left  two  sons,  Wamsutta  and  Metacom. 
Years  before  their  father’s  death  these  young  men 
went  to  Plymouth,  where  they  entered  into  friendly 
relations  with  the  English,  and  received  from  them 
the  names  by  which  we  know  them,  Alexander  and 
Philip.  They  were  no  ordinary  men,  they  seemed  to 
have  perceived  from  the  first  the  dangers  that 
threatened  their  race.  If  so,  they  concealed  their 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  II  261 


impressions,  and  could  never  be  won  over  to  the  re¬ 
ligion  of  the  English.  When  Massasoit  died,  and 
Wamsutta  became  chief  sachem  of  the  Wampanoags, 
the  colonists,  incited  by  Uncas,  chief  of  the  Moheg- 
ans,  his  bitter  enemy,  became  suspicious  of  him.  As 
he  reposed  at  his  hunting  lodge  with  eighty  of  his 
followers,  he  was  surprised  by  Winslow,  who  had 
been  sent  out  with  an  armed  forced  to  bring  him  to 
the  court  at  Plymouth.  Wamsutta  thought  not  of 
danger ;  his  arms  and  those  of  his  warriors  were  out¬ 
side  the  lodge  and  easily  secured.  When  Winslow, 
with  his  pistol  at  his  breast,  told  the  astonished 
chief  he  must  go  with  him,  his  proud  spirit  was 
roused  to  bitter  indignation.  His  exasperation  threw 
him  into  a  fever  so  violent,  that  he  was  unable  to 
proceed  far.  In  consequence  of  his  illness  he  was 
permitted  to  return  home.  “He  died  on  his  way.  He 
was  carried  home  on  the  shoulders  of  men,  and  borne 
to  his  silent  grave  near  Mount  Hope,  in  the  evening 
of  the  day,  and  in  the  prime  of  his  life,  between  lines 
of  sad,  quick-minded  Indians,  who  well  believed  him 
the  victim  of  injustice  and  ingratitude ;  for  his  father 
had  been  the  ally,  not  the  subject  of  England,  and  so 
was  he,  and  the  like  indignity  had  not  before  been 
put  upon  any  sachem.”* 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  untimely  and  trag¬ 
ical  fate  of  Wamsutta  gave  character  to  the  latent 
hostility  that  existed  in  the  mind  of  his  brother 
Philip  toward  the  English.  Soon  suspicions  fell  up¬ 
on  him,  and  at  one  time  he  was  harshly  treated,  and 
compelled  to  give  up  his  firearms.  A  praying  Indian, 
who  lived  with  Philip,  told  the  colonists  that  the 
Wampanoags  entertained  some  designs  against  them. 
There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  truth  of  this  story; 
however,  a  short  time  after  this  Indian  was  found 
murdered.  Suspicion  fell  upon  three  of  Philip's  men, 

♦Elliott’s  Hist,  of  New  England. 


262 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


who  were  apprehended  by  the  authorities  of  Plym¬ 
outh,  and  brought  to  trial;  they  were  pronounced 
guilty  by  a  jury  composed  of  English  and  Indians. 
The  execution  of  these  men  aroused  the  slumbering 
enmity  of  the  tribe.  The  young  warriors  were  clam¬ 
orous  for  war,  while  the  old  men  dreaded  the  contest. 
Philip,  from  his  superior  sagacity,  foresaw  that  an 
attempt  to  regain  their  lands  would  end  in  their  own 
destruction. 

The  colonists  could  now  have  warded  off  the  strife 
by  conciliating  the  Indians.  No  effort  was  made  to 
soothe  their  wounded  feelings,  they  were  treated  as 
“bloody  heathen,”  whom  it  was  their  duty,  as  “the 
chosen  of  the  Lord,”  to  drive  out  of  the  land.  Av¬ 
arice,  contrary  to  express  law,  had  been  for  many 
years  furnishing  the  savages  with  fire-arms,  and 
when  the  contest  came,  they  were  far  more  formid¬ 
able  than  the  Pequods  had  been ;  to  conquer  them  re¬ 
quired  a  great  sacrifice  of  the  best  blood  of  the  col¬ 
ony. 

Though  there  were  settlements  more  or  less  ex¬ 
tending  from  Boston  to  Westfield  on  the  west,  and 
to  Northfield  in  the  Connecticut  valley  on  the  bor¬ 
ders  of  Vermont,  and  on  the  north  to  Haverhill  on 
the  Merrimac,  there  were  vast  solitudes,  whose  secret 
glens  and  hiding-places  were  known  only  to  the  In¬ 
dians.  The  spirit  of  the  tribes  near  the  settlements 
was  broken  by  their  contact  with  the  superior  whites, 
but  Philip  had  under  his  control  seven  hundred  brave 
warriors,  who  rejoiced  in  their  freedom,  and  scorned 
to  be  the  subjects  of  any  white  chief  beyond  the 
great  waters.  They  not  only  rejected  the  religion  of 
the  white  man,  but  despised  those  tribes  which  had 
adopted  it. 

In  prospect  of  the  threatened  war,  a  day  of  fasting 
and  prayer  was  observed ;  as  the  people  were  return¬ 
ing  from  church  at  Swanzey,  they  were  suddenly  at- 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  II  263 


tacked  by  a  comany  of  Philip’s  men,  and  seven  or 
eight  persons  killed.  Philip  shed  tears  when  he 
heard  that  blood  had  been  shed ;  the  dreaded  ruin  of 
his  people  was  drawing  near.  His  tribe,  single-hand¬ 
ed,  entered  upon  the  contest ;  the  others  were  either 
the  allies  of  the  English  or  indifferent.  He  scorned 
to  desert  his  people,  or  forfeit  his  character  as  a 
warrior,  and  he  threw  himself  into  the  contest  with 
the  whole  energy  of  his  nature. 

The  war  began  within  the  bounds  of  the  Plymouth 
colony ;  but  volunteers  hastened  to  its  aid  from  Mas¬ 
sachusetts.  The  army  invaded  the  territory  of  the 
Wampanoags,  and  in  a  few  weeks  Philip,  driven  from 
Mount  Hope,  became  a  fugitive  among  the  Nipmucks, 
a  tribe  in  the  interior  of  Massachusetts.  After  the 
flight  of  Philip  and  his  warriors,  the  little  army  went 
into  the  territory  of  the  Narragansets,  and  compelled 
them  to  promise  neutrality,  and  also  to  deliver  up 
the  fugitive  Indians  who  should  flee  to  them.  They 
fondly  hoped  the  war  was  at  an  end;  but  this  was 
only  its  beginning. 

The  Nipmucks  were  induced  to  make  common 
cause  with  Philip  and  his  tribe.  His  warriors,  par¬ 
tially  armed  with  muskets,  prowled  round  the  settle¬ 
ments,  ruthlessly  murdered  the  whites,  and  treated 
their  remains  with  savage  barbarity.  The  Indians 
were  familiar  with  the  hidden  paths  of  the  wilder¬ 
ness;  not  daring  to  meet  the  colonists  in  open  con¬ 
flict,  they  watched  for  opportunities  of  secret  attack. 
It  was  not  known  when  or  where  the  storm  would 
burst,  and  the  terror-stricken  inhabitants  along  the 
frontiers  fled  to  the  more  thickly  settled  portions. 

Superstition  added  her  terrors.  The  people  saw 
an  Indian  bow  across  the  heavens ;  a  scalp  appeared 
on  the  face  of  the  eclipsed  moon ;  troops  of  phantom 
horsemen  galloped  through  the  air;  the  howlings  of 
the  wolves  were  more  than  usually  fearful,  and  por- 


264 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


tended  some  terrible  ruin;  whizzing  bullets  were 
heard  in  the  whistling  wind;  the  northern  lights 
glowed  with  an  unusual  glare — the  harbinger  of  the 
punishment  of  sin.  They  began  to  enumerate  their 
sins;  among  these  were  the  neglect  of  the  training 
of  children,  the  using  of  profane  language,  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  tippling  houses,  the  want  of  respect  for  par¬ 
ents,  the  wearing  of  long  and  curled  hair  by  the  men, 
the  flaunting  of  gaudy-colored  ribbons  by  the  wom¬ 
en;  and  intolerance  whispered  that  they  had  been 
too  lenient  to  the  Quakers. 

The  Nipmucks  had  fifteen  hundred  warriors ;  with 
some  of  these  Philip  hastened  to  the  valley  of  the 
Connecticut,  and  spread  desolation  from  Springfield, 
through  all  the  settlements  to  the  farthest  town  of 
Northfield. 

An  effort  was  made  to  win  back  the  Nipmucks  to 
their  old  allegiance ;  and  Captain  Hutchinson,  son  of 
Anne  Hutchinson,  was  sent  with  twenty  men  to  treat 
with  them,  but  the  whole  company  was  waylaid  and 
murdered  at  Brookfield.  That  place  was  burned :  the 
people  fled  to  the  strongest  house,  which  was  be¬ 
sieged  two  days,  and  finally  set  on  fire ;  but  providen¬ 
tially  a  storm  of  rain  extinguished  the  flames,  and 
others  coming  to  their  assistance,  the  Indians  were 
driven  off. 

The  enemy  concerted  to  make  their  attacks  on  the 
same  day  and  hour,  in  different  parts  of  the  coun¬ 
try.  On  the  Sabbath,  which  seems  to  have  been 
chosen  by  them  as  the  day  most  favorable  for  an 
attack,  they  burned  Deerfield;  and,  as  the  people 
were  worshipping  in  church,  they  attacked  Hadley. 
Suddenly  there  appeared  a  tall  and  venerable  looking 
man,  with  a  white  flowing  beard,  who  brandished  a 
sword  and  encouraged  and  directed  the  people  in  the 
battle.  When  the  savages  were  driven  off,  he  disap¬ 
peared;  some  thought  him  an  angel,  specially  sent 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  IT  265 


by  heaven  to  their  aid.  It  was  Goffe,  one  of  the  regi¬ 
cides  of  whom  we  have  spoken.  These  regicides  had 
been  hunted  by  zealous  royalists  from  one  place  of 
refuge  to  another;  now  they  were  sheltered  by  the 
good  minister,  John  Davenport,  of  New  Haven ;  now 
by  friends  at  Milford;  now  they  had  wandered  in 
the  pathless  wilderness,  and  once  they  had  heard  the 
sound  of  their  enemies*  horses,  as  in  hot  pursuit  of 
them,  they  crossed  the  very  bridge  under  which  they 
were  secreted ;  they  had  rested  in  a  cave  on  the  top 
of  “West  Rock,”  New  Haven,  known  to  this  day  as 
the  “Judge’s  Cave,”  and  at  this  time  they  were  liv¬ 
ing  secretly  in  the  house  of  Minister  Russell,  at  Had¬ 
ley.  Thus  they  passed  their  remaining  years  ban¬ 
ished  from  society  and  from  the  occupations  of  life. 

A  company  of  chosen  young  men,  “the  flower  of 
the  county  of  Essex,”  eighty  in  number,  were  en¬ 
gaged  in  bringing  the  fruits  of  harvest  down  from 
the  vicinity  of  Deerfield  to  Hadley,  where  it  was 
proposed  to  establish  a  magazine  for  provisions. 
They  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of  seven  hundred  war¬ 
riors,  and,  after  a  desperate  encounter,  nearly  all  per¬ 
ished,  at  the  crossing  of  a  little  stream,  since  called 
the  “Bloody  Brook.” 

Ere  long  the  flourishing  settlement  of  Hatfield  was 
attacked ;  and  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  Spring- 
field  were  induced  to  take  up  arms;  but  the  people 
were  prepared,  and  repulsed  them.  Philip  returned 
home,  but  finding  Mount  Hope  in  ruins,  he  went 
among  the  Narragansets.  The  colonists  feared  that 
he  would  induce  them  to  join  him,  and  in  self-defense 
they  resolved  to  treat  them  as  enemies.  The  winter, 
by  stripping  the  trees  and  bushes  of  their  leaves, 
had  deprived  the  Indians  of  their  hiding  places,  and 
the  swamps,  their  favorite  sites  for  forts,  could  be 
passed  over  when  frozen.  A  company  of  one  thou¬ 
sand  men  set  out  to  attack  their  principal  fort.  This 


266 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


plant  of  defense  contained  about  six  hundred  wig¬ 
wams  and  nearly  three  thousand  of  the  tribe;  war¬ 
riors  with  their  wives  and  children,  and  an  abundance 
of  provisions  for  the  winter.  They  thought  them¬ 
selves  secure ;  they  had  taken  no  part  in  the  war. 

Guided  by  an  Indian  traitor,  the  army  marched 
fifteen  miles  through  a  deep  snow,  and  finally  arrived 
at  the  Narraganset  fort,  situated  near  where  the 
village  of  Kingston  in  Rhode  Island  now  stands. 
Their  fort,  surrounded  by  a  palisade,  stood  in  the 
midst  of  a  swamp,  and  was  almost  inaccessible ;  it  had 
but  one  entrance,  the  narrow  passage  to  which  was 
along  the  body  of  a  fallen  tree.  After  a  severe  con¬ 
test  of  two  hours,  the  English  forced  themselves 
within  the  fort,  and  applied  the  torch  to  the  frail  and 
combustible  wigwams.  A  thousand  warriors  were 
slain,  and  hundreds  were  made  prisoners.  Their  pro¬ 
visions  were  all  destroyed,  and  those  who  escaped 
were  left  shelterless  in  the  winter  storms.  They 
were  forced  to  dig  in  the  snow  for  nuts  and  acorns  to 
sustain  life,  and  great  numbers  died  of  exposure  and 
famine  before  spring.  The  colonists  suffered  severe¬ 
ly  ;  they  lost  six  captains,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men  killed  and  wounded. 

The  surviving  Narraganset  warriors  took  venge¬ 
ance  ;  they  went  from  place  to  place ;  they  massacred, 
they  burned,  they  destroyed.  The  settlements  in 
their  vicinity  were  abandoned.  Though  Rhode  Island 
had  not  joined  in  the  war,  they  made  no  distinction, 
and  Providence  was  almost  destroyed.  The  now  aged 
Roger  Williams  felt  it  his  duty  to  act  as  captain,  in 
defending  the  town  he  had  founded.  Bands  of  war¬ 
riors  swept  through  and  through  the  territory  of 
Plymouth,  and  the  people  were  only  safe  when  with¬ 
in  their  forts.  Towns  in  different  parts  of  the  coun¬ 
ty  were  attacked  at  the  same  time;  the  enemy 
seemed  to  be  everywhere. 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  IT  267 


The  majority  of  the  Indians  continued  to  fight; 
and  though  they  fought  without  hope,  they  preferred 
death  to  submission.  Others  quarrelled  among  them¬ 
selves,  charging  one  another  with  being  the  cause  of 
the  war.  At  length  the  Nipmucks  submitted;  and 
the  tribes  on  the  Connecticut,  having  grown  weary 
of  the  contest,  would  shelter  Philip  no  longer.  He 
now  appealed,  but  in  vain,  to  the  Mohawks  to  take 
up  arms.  In  desperation,  he  determined  to  return 
and  die  at  Mount  Hope.  When  one  of  his  followers 
proposed  to  make  peace,  the  indignant  chieftain 
struck  him  dead  at  a  blow.  It  was  soon  noised  abroad 
that  Philip  had  returned  to  his  old  home.  Benjamin 
Church,  the  most  energetic  of  the  English  captains 
surprised  his  camp,  dispersed  his  followers,  and  took 
prisoner  his  wife  and  little  son.  Philip's  spirit  was 
now  crushed;  ho  exclaimed:  “My  heart  breaks;  I 
am  ready  to  die  •”  A  few  days  after  he  was  shot  by 
a  traitor  of  his  own  tribe.  His  orphan  boy  was  now 
to  be  disposed  of.  He  was  taken  to  Boston;  some 
were  in  favor  of  putting  him  to  death,  others  of  sell¬ 
ing  him  into  slavery.  The  latter  prevailed,  and  the 
last  prince  of  the  Wampanoags,  the  grandson  of  gen¬ 
erous  old  Massasoit,  who  had  welcomed  the  Pilgrims, 
and  had  given  them  his  friendship,  was  sent  to  toil 
as  a  slave  under  the  burning  sun  of  Bermuda. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  renewed  efforts  were 
made  to  convert  the  remaining  Indians,  but  without 
success.  The  habits  of  a  people  are  not  easily 
changed.  If  those  who  came  in  contact  with  them 
had  set  them  a  Christian  example,  as  did  Eliot,  and 
the  “learned  and  gentle"  Mayhew,  the  effect  might 
have  been  different.  The  war  had  completely  broken 
the  power  of  the  Indians.  The  more  bold  emigrated 
to  Canada,  and  avenged  themselves  in  after  years,  by 
guiding  war  parties  of  the  French  against  the  Eng¬ 
lish  settlements.  Some  went  to  the  west,  and,  it  is 


268 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


said,  their  descendants  at  a  later  day  roamed  over 
its  wide  prairies.  But  the  great  majority  lost  their 
native  independence,  and  became  still  more  degraded 
by  marrying  with  the  negroes.  At  this  day,  a  few 
descendants  of  the  warriors  who  once  roved  over  the 
hills  and  valleys  of  New  England,  may  be  seen  linger¬ 
ing  in  the  land  of  their  fathers. 

For  a  time  the  effect  of  the  war  was  disastrous; 
though  it  lasted  out  little  more  than  a  year,  a  dozen 
villages  were  in  ashes,  and  others  nearly  destroyed. 
Of  the  private  dwellings,  a  tenth  part  had  been 
burned,  six  hundred  of  the  men  of  the  colony  had 
perished  in  battle,  not  to  mention  the  women  and 
children  ruthlessly  massacred.  Almost  every  family 
was  in  mourning.  The  expenses  of  the  war  were 
great,  and  for  years  weighed  heavily  upon  the  peo¬ 
ple,  while  the  desolation  of  the  settlements  para¬ 
lyzed  their  energies. 

No  aid  came  to  the  sufferers  from  England ;  but  be 
it  remembered,  that  a  Non-conformist  church  in 
Dublin  sent  them  five  hundred  pounds.  Instead  of 
aiding  them,  the  spendthrift  Charles  devised  means 
to  extort  money  from  them  by  taxing  their  trade. 
This  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  royal  custom  house 
in  Boston.  To  compel  the  merchants  to  pay  tribute, 
he  threatened  to  deprive  them  of  English  passes  for 
their  ships  in  the  Mediterranean,  where,  without  re¬ 
dress,  they  might  be  robbed  by  pirates  along  the  Bar¬ 
kary  coast;  and  he  also  threatened  to  deprive  them 
of  their  trade  with  the  southern  colonies.  These 
threats  had  little  effect  upon  men  who  had  learned  to 
take  care  of  themselves. 

James  II.,  the  brother  and  successor  of  Charles, 
was  bigoted  and  stubborn ;  a  Catholic  in  disguise,  he 
wished  to  establish  that  form  of  religion,  not  only 
in  England,  but  in  the  colonies.  The  more  easily  to 
accomplish  this  object  he  professed  to  be  very  toler- 


\ 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  H  269 

ant,  and  proclaimed  what  he  termed  an  Indulgence, 
by  which  persecution  for  religious  opinions  was 
henceforth  to  end.  This  tolerance  was  only  a  means 
to  evade  the  laws,  which  prohibited  the  introduction 
of  Romish  ceremonies  and  doctrines  into  the  Church 
of  England.  He  became  a  bitter  persecutor ;  in  truth, 
to  comprehend  the  idea  of  the  rights  of  conscience 
or  of  religious  freedom,  was  far  beyond  the  capacity 
of  James.  That  time-serving  politician,  Joseph  Dud¬ 
ley,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who,  when  it  was 
profitable,  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  colonial  rights, 
nowr  became  an  earnest  defender  of  the  prerogative 
of  the  king.  He  was  appointed  the  royal  president 
of  Massachusetts,  until  a  governor  should  arrive. 
There  could  be  no  free  press  under  a  Stuart,  and 
Edward  Randolph  was  appointed  its  censor.  Ran¬ 
dolph  disliked  the  people  of  Massachusetts  as  cor¬ 
dially  as  they  hated  him.  The  commission  of  Dudley 
contained  no  recognition  of  an  Assembly  or  Repre¬ 
sentatives  of  the  people.  James  was  at  a  loss  to  see 
the  use  of  a  legislature  to  make  laws,  when  his  wis¬ 
dom  could  be  appealed  to  for  that  purpose.  Dudley, 
looked  upon  as  the  betrayer  of  his  country's  liber¬ 
ties,  was  very  unpopular,  while  Randolph  took  pains 
to  have  his  character  as  little  respected  at  court,  by 
representing  him  as  having  “his  fortune  to  make," 
and  willing  to  “cringe  and  bow  to  anything." 

James  had  resolved  to  take  away  the  charters  of 
all  the  colonies  and  make  them  royal  provinces.  Ere 
long  came  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  a  governor  of  all  New 
England.  A  fit  instrument  of  a  despot,  he  was  au¬ 
thorized  to  impose  taxes,  to  appoint  his  own  council, 
to  have  the  control  of  the  militia,  to  prohibit  printing, 
to  introduce  Episcopacy,  and  to  enforce  the  laws  re¬ 
stricting  the  trade  of  the  colonies.  That  be  might 
have  the  means  to  fulfil  his  instructions,  he  brought 
two  companies  of  soldiers — the  first  ever  stationed 


270 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


in  New  England.  As  a  reward  for  his  desertion  of 
the  people’s  rights,  Dudley  was  appointed  Chief  Jus¬ 
tice,  and  the  busy  Randolph,  Colonial  Secretary,  and 
William  Stoughton,  through  the  influence  of  Dudley, 
was  named  one  of  the  council.  Now  followed  a  series 
of  measures  exceedingly  annoying  to  the  people. 
Their  schools  were  left  to  languish.  To  assemble  for 
deliberation  on  any  public  matter  was  forbidden; 
but  it  was  graciously  permitted  them  to  vote  for 
their  town  officers.  The  customs  of  the  country 
were  not  respected.  The  usual  form  of  administering 
an  oath  was  that  of  an  appeal  to  heaven  by  the  up¬ 
lifted  hand ;  the  form  now  prescribed  was  that  of  lay¬ 
ing  the  hand  on  the  Bible,  which  the  Puritans 
thought  idolatrous, — a  relic  of  popery.  Exorbitant 
fees  were  extorted;  those  who  held  lands  were  told 
their  titles  were  not  valid,  because  they  were  ob¬ 
tained  under  a  charter  which  was  now  declared  to  be 
forfeited ;  and'  when  an  Indian  deed  was  presented,  it 
was  decided  to  be  “worth  no  more  than  the  scratch 
of  a  bear’s  paw.”  No  person  could  leave  the  colony 
without  a  pass  from  the  governor.  No  magistrate 
nor  minister — who  was  deemed  merely  a  layman — 
could  unite  persons  in  marriage.  The  Episcopal 
clergyman  at  Boston  was  the  only  person  in  all  New 
England  authorized  to  perform  that  ceremony. 
Episcopacy  was  now  fully  introduced,  and  the  people 
required  to  furnish  funds  to  build  a  church  for  its 
service.  A  tax  of  the  same  amount  was  levied  upon 
each  person,  poor  or  rich ;  this  some  of  the  towns  re¬ 
fused  to  pay.  John  Wise,  the  minister  of  Ipswich, 
was  bold  to  say  the  tax  was  unjust,  and  ought  not  to 
be  paid.  For  this  he  was  arrested.  When  he  spoke 
of  his  privileges  as  an  Englishman,  he  was  told  the 
only  privileges  he  could  claim  was  not  to  be  sold  as 
a  slave ;  with  others,  he  was  fined  heavily.  When  it 
was  said  that  such  proceedings  would  affect  the  pros- 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JaMES  H  271 


perity  of  the  country,  it  was  openly  avowed  that  “it 
was  not  for  his  majesty’s  interest  that  the  country 
should  thrive.”  “No  man  could  say  that  any  thing 
was  his  own.” 

Andros  now  demanded  of  Rhode  Island  her  char¬ 
ter,  but  as  she  did  not  send  it,  he  went  to  Providence, 
and  breaking  the  seal  of  the  colony  declared  its  gov¬ 
ernment  dissolved.  He  then  went  with  an  armed 
guard  to  Hartford,  and  demanded  the  charter  of  the 
colony  of  Connecticut.  The  Assembly  was  in  ses¬ 
sion.  The  members  received  him  with  outward  re¬ 
spect.  The  discussion  of  the  subject  was  protracted 
till  evening,  and  when  candles  were  lighted,  the 
charter  was  brought  in  and  laid  on  the  table.  As  the 
eager  Andros  reached  forth  his  hand  to  seize  the 
precious  document,  the  lights  were  suddenly  put  out ; 
when  they  were  relighted,  the  charter  was  gone. 
Captain  William  Wadsworth  had  slipped  it  away  and 
hid  it  in  a  hollow  tree.  Andros,  foiled  and  in  a 
rage,  resolved,  charter  or  no  charter,  the  present 
government  should  cease,  and  taking  the  book  of  rec¬ 
ords  of  the  Assembly,  he  wrote  at  the  end  of  the  last 
record  the  word  Finis.  The  tree  in  which  the  charter 
was  hid  stood  for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half, 
and  was  visited  as  an  object  of  historical  interest. 
It  was  known  as  the  Charter  Oak.  Some  time  since 
it  was  blown  down  in  a  violent  storm.  Years  be¬ 
fore,  however,  a  lady  of  Hartford  had  gathered  from 
it  an  acorn,  which  she  had  planted.  The  good  citi¬ 
zens  of  that  place  obtained  from  her  the  young  oak, 
and  with  appropriate  ceremonies  planted  it  on  the 
spot  where  stood  the  parent  tree. 

Happily  the  tyranny  of  Andros  was  soon  to  an  end. 
James,  in  his  zeal  to  promote  the  introduction  of  the 
Catholic  religion,  had  aroused  against  him  the  entire 
English  people.  They  invited  William,  Prince  of 
Orange,  the  husband  of  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter  of 


272 


HISTORY  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


James,  to  take  possession  of  the  throne.  After  find¬ 
ing  that  his  despotic  measures  and  insincerity  had 
lost  him  his  kingdom,  James  fled,  and  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  under  the  title  of  William  III.,  ascended  the 
vacant  throne. 

When  the  news  of  that  great  revolution,  which  es¬ 
tablished  the  constitutional  rights  of  the  English 
people,  reached  Boston,  it  excited  the  greatest  joy; 
now  they  could  rid  themselves  of  the  tyrant.  Andros 
imprisoned  the  messenger  for  spreading  false  news. 
The  trained  bands  soon  assembled  in  arms.  The 
craven  and  guilty  governor,  bewildered  with  fear, 
fled,  with  his  servile  council,  to  a  fort  in  the  town. 
The  aged  Simon  Bradstreet,  now  more  than  four 
score,  who  was  one  of  the  original  emigrants,  and 
had  been  a  magistrate,  was  urged  to  assume  the  of¬ 
fice  of  governor. 

A  declaration,  said  to  have  been  written  by  Cotton 
Mather,  was  published,  maintaining  the  rights  of  the 
people,  in  which  they  commit  the  enterprise  to  “Him 
who  hears  the  cry  of  the  oppressed.”  Andros,  in 
the  mean  time,  made  an  effort  to  escape ;  but  he  and 
Dudley,  with  the  troubesome  Kandolph,  were  speed¬ 
ily  lodged  in  jail.  Many  were  clamorous  for  their 
punishment,  but  generous  forbearance  prevailed, 
and  they  were  sent  to  England  for  trial. 

Connecticut,  paying  little  respect  to  the  “Finis” 
of  Andros,  now  brought  forth  her  charter  from  its 
hidden  place,  and  resumed  her  former  government. 
Plymouth  resumed  the  constitution  framed  on  board 
the  May-Flower,  and  Rhode  Island  her  charter.  The 
people  of  Massachusetts  voted  almost  unanimously 
to  resume  theirs,  but  a  moderate  party,  consisting 
of  the  former  magistrates,  and  some  of  the  principal 
inhabitants,  chose  rather  to  refer  it  for  the  present ; 
as  they  hoped  to  obtain  one  from  William,  more  in 
accordance  with  their  own  views. 


NEW  ENGLAND  UNDER  CHARLES  II.  AND  JAMES  ir  273 


The  patriarchs  who  laid  the  foundation  of  the  New 
England  colonies  had  nearly  all  passed  away;  their 
places  were  filled  by  those  who  had  not  experienced 
the  trials  of  their  fathers,  but  had  learned  of  them 
by  tradition.  The  Puritans  lived  in  serious  times — 
times  that  made  rugged  Christians  as  well  as  rugged 
soldiers.  They  may  have  lacked  the  gentler  graces 
that  adorn  those  living  two  centuries  later,  and  en¬ 
joying  greater  privileges,  when  the  combined  influ¬ 
ence  of  Christianity,  science,  and  refinement  have 
produced  a  more  perfect  effect.  They  conscientiously 
filled  their  sphere  of  duty  in  the  age  in  which  they 
lived,  and  we  honor  their  memories. 

The  influence  of  their  ministers  was  the  influence 
of  mind  upon  mind,  enhanced  by  that  implicit  trust 
reposed  in  moral  worth.  They  were  peculiarly  the 
educated  class ;  the  people  looked  up  to  them  as  their 
spiritual  instructors.  They  were  the  friends  of  ed¬ 
ucation,  and  wished  to  elevate  the  children  of  their 
flocks  by  cultivating  their  minds,  and  training  them 
for  usefulness  in  the  world; — what  higher  position 
for  his  children  could  the  Puritan  desire  ?  In  process 
of  time,  New  England  became  more  inviting  to  men 
of  education  belonging  to  the  professions  of  law  and 
medicine.  In  some  respects,  the  great  influence  of 
the  ministers  gradually  diminished,  not  because  of 
dereliction  of  duty  on  their  part,  but  because,  in  tem¬ 
poral  affairs,  especially,  the  management  passed,  by 
degrees,  into  the  hands  of  other  men  of  influence. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

1690—1763 

COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK— WITCHCRAFT  IN 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Leisler  Acting  Governor  of  New  York — The  Old  Council  Re¬ 
fuses  to  Yield — Captain  Ingoldsby — Sloughter  Governor 
— Bitterness  of  Parties — Trial  and  Execution  of  Leisler 
and  Milbourne — Death  of  Sloughter — Fletcher  Governor; 
He  Goes  to  Connecticut — Yale  College — The  Triumph  of 
a  Free  Press — Witchcraft;  Belief  In — Cotton  Mather — 
The  Goodwin  Children — Various  Persons  Accused  at 
Salem — Special  Court — Parris  as  Accuser,  and  Stoughton 
as  Judge — Minister  Burroughs — Calef’s  Pamphlet — Re¬ 
vulsion  in  Public  Sentiment — Mather’s  Stand  in  Favor  of 
Inoculation. 

Difficulties  with  royal  governors  were  by  no  means 
confined  to  New  England.  The  people  of  New  York 
were  also  in  commotion,  though  not  so  much  united, 
as  the  Dutch  had  not  yet  cordially  associated  in  feel¬ 
ing  with  the  English. 

James  had  appointed  a  Catholic  receiver  of  cus¬ 
toms;  this  annoyed  the  Protestants,  and  Nicholson 
the  governor,  was  exceedingly  unpopular.  The  mil¬ 
itary  companies  went  in  a  body  to  Jacob  Leisler,  a 
respectable  and  generous-hearted  merchant,  and 
their  senior  captain,  and  urged  him  to  take  posses¬ 
sion  of  the  fort  and  to  assume  the  management  of 
affairs.  He  consented.  Leisler,  a  Presbyterian  and  a 
Dutchman,  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  Prince 
of  Orange.  The  fort  and  public  money  were  taken, 
and  the  companies  pledged  themselves  to  hold  the 
fort  “foi  the  present  Protestant  power  that  rules  in 
England.”  Leisler  was  to  act  as  commander-in-chief 
until  orders  came  from  King  William,  to  whom  a 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


275 


letter  was  sent  giving  an  account  of  the  seizure  of 
the  fort  and  also  of  the  money,  which  was  to  be  ex¬ 
pended  in  building  another  at  the  lower  part  of  the 
island,  to  defend  the  harbor. 

As  a  large  majority  of  the  people  were  in  favor  of 
Leisler  and  of  the  proceedings  of  the  militia,  Nichol¬ 
son,  the  governor,  thought  best  to  carry  his  com¬ 
plaints  to  England.  The  members  of  his  council, 
claiming  to  be  the  true  rulers  of  the  province,  went 
to  Albany,  and  denounced  Leisler  as  a  “rebel.” 

He  appointed  Milbourne,  his  son-in-law,  secretary. 
Afterward,  the  people  at  Albany,  alarmed  on  account 
of  an  expected  attack  from  Canada,  asked  aid  from 
New  York ;  Milbourne  was  promptly  sent  with  a  body 
of  men  to  their  assistance.  But  the  members  of  the 
old  council  refused  to  acknowledge  his  authority,  or 
to  give  him  the  command  of  the  fort.  To  avoid 
bloodshed  he  returned,  leaving  them  to  fight  the 
French  as  they  could.  In  their  extremity,  the  Alban¬ 
ians  obtained  assistance  from  Connecticut.  Present¬ 
ly  came  a  royal  letter,  directed  to  “such  as  for  the 
time  being  administer  affairs.”  It  contained  a  com¬ 
mission  for  Nicholson  as  governor.  As  the  latter  was 
on  his  way  to  England,  Leisler  injudiciously  pro¬ 
claimed  himself  governor  by  virtue  of  the  letter,  and 
still  more  imprudently  ordered  the  members  of  the 
refractory  council  at  Albany  to  be  arrested.  Mean¬ 
time  an  Assembly  was  called  to  provide  for  the  wants 
of  the  province. 

The  letter  sent  to  the  king  remained  unanswered, 
but  suddenly  an  English  ship  came  into  the  harbor, 
having  on  board  a  Captain  Ingoldsby,  and  a  com¬ 
pany  of  soldiers  sent  by  Colonel  Henry  Sloughter, 
who  had  been  appointed  governor.  Encouraged  by 
the  party  opposed  to  Leisler,  Ingoldsby  demanded 
the  surrender  of  the  fort.  He  was  asked  his  author¬ 
ity  ;  as  he  had  none  to  show  the  fort  was  not  given 


276 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


up.  Six  weeks  elapsed  before  Sloughter  made  his  ap¬ 
pearance;  meanwhile,  a  collision  took  place  between 
the  soldiers  and  some  of  the  people,  and  blood  was 
shed.  The  bitterest  party  spirit  prevailed;  the  ene¬ 
mies  of  Leisler  resolved  on  revenge;  and  when  he 
came  forward  to  resign  his  trust  to  the  regularly 
appointed  governor,  he  was  arrested,  and  with  Mil- 
bourne  taken  to  prison.  The  charge  against  them 
was  the  convenient  one  of  treason;  their  enemies 
knew  that  they  were  as  loyal  as  themselves,  but  it 
answered  their  purpose.  Immediately  a  special  court 
was  called  to  try  the  prisoners.  They  denied  the 
right  of  a  court  thus  constituted  to  try  them,  and 
refused  to  plead,  but  appealed  to  the  king.  They 
were,  however,  condemned,  and  sentenced  to  death 
by  the  degenerate  Dudley,  who,  driven  away  by  the 
indignant  people  of  Massachusetts,  now  appeared  as 
Chief  Justice  of  New  York. 

Sloughter  was  unwilling  to  order  their  execution, 
and  he  determined  to  leave  the  matter  to  the  king. 
But  their  blood,  and  it  alone,  could  satisfy  the  intense 
hatred  of  their  enemies.  To  accomplish  their  end 
they  took  advantage  of  one  of  the  numerous  failings 
of  the  governor.  They  gave  him  a  dinner-party; 
when  overcome  by  a  free  indulgence  in  wine,  they  in¬ 
duced  him  to  sign  the  death-warrant  of  the  unfor¬ 
tunate  men.  About  daylight  the  next  morning,  lest 
Sloughter  should  recover  from  his  stupor  and  recall 
the  warrant,  Leisler  and  Milbourne  were  hurried 
from  their  weeping  families  to  the  gallows.  It  was 
whispered  abroad,  and  although  the  rain  poured  in 
torrents,  the  sympathizing  people  hastened  in  multi¬ 
tudes  to  the  place  of  execution.  Said  Milbourne, 
when  he  saw  in  the  crowd  one  of  their  enemies,  “Rob¬ 
ert  Livingston,  I  will  implead  thee  for  this  at  the  bar 
of  God.”  The  last  words  of  Leisler  were :  “Weep  not 
for  us,  who  are  departing  to  our  God.”  Said  Mil- 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


277 


bourne,  “I  die  for  the  king  and  queen,  and  for  the 
Protestant  religion;  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  com¬ 
mend  my  spirit.”  When  the  execution  was  over,  the 
people  rushed  forward  to  obtain  some  memorial  of 
their  friends — a  lock  of  hair,  or  a  piece  of  their  cloth¬ 
ing.  This  judicial  murder  increased  the  bitterness 
of  party  animosity.  The  friends  of  the  victims  were 
the  advocates  of  popular  rights,  in  opposition  to  the 
royalists.  All  that  could  be  was  done  in  time  to  rem¬ 
edy  the  wrong.  Their  estates  were  restored  to  their 
families,  and  Parliament  reversed  the  attainder  un¬ 
der  the  charge  of  treason.  Dudley  even  opposed  this 
act  of  justice.  Three  months  after  this  tragedy, 
delirium  tremens  ended  the  life  of  the  weak  and 
dissolute  Sloughter.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the 
“ancient  Dutch  usages”  gave  place  to  the  complete 
introduction  of  English  laws. 

A  year  had  elapsed,  when  Benjamin  Fletcher  came 
as  successor  to  Sloughter.  He  was  a  military  officer, 
arbitrary  and  avaricious.  His  sympathies  were  with 
the  enemies  of  Leisler.  As  New  York  was  on  the 
frontiers  of  Canada,  all  the  colonies  were  expected 
to  contribute  to  her  defense.  To  make  this  more  ef¬ 
fective,  an  effort  was  made  to  put  the  militia  of  New 
Jersey  and  Connecticut,  as  well  as  that  of  New  York, 
under  the  command  of  Fletcher.  Accordingly,  he 
went  into  Connecticut  to  enforce  his  authority.  To 
give  the  command  of  their  militia  to  the  governor  of 
another  colony,  was  to  sacrifice  the  rights  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  under  the  charter.  The  Assembly  was  in  session 
at  Hartford,  and  the  militia  engaged  in  training  when 
Fletcher  arrived.  He  boasted  that  he  “would  not  set 
foot  out  of  the  colony  until  he  was  obeyed.”  When 
the  militia  was  drawn  up,  he  ordered  his  secretary 
to  read  in  their  hearing  his  commission.  When  he 
commenced  to  read  the  drummers  began  to  beat. 
“Silence,”  commanded  Fletcher.  For  a  moment  there 


278 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


was  silence,  and  the  reading  was  renewed.  “Drum ! 
drum!”  ordered  Wadsworth,  the  same  who,  some 
years  before,  hid  the  charter.  Fletcher  once  more  or¬ 
dered  silence.  The  sturdy  captain,  stepping  up  to 
him,  significantly  remarked,  “If  I  am  interrupted 
again  I  will  make  daylight  shine  through  you.” 
Fletcher  thought  it  best  to  overlook  the  insult  and 
return  to  New  York,  without  accomplishing  his 
threat. 

More  than  half  a  century  before,  the  Rev.  John 
Davenport  proposed  to  found  a  college  in  the  colony 
of  Connecticut,  but  as  Harvard  would  be  affected  by 
the  establishment  of  a  similar  institution,  the  pro¬ 
ject  was  postponed.  Now,  the  ministers  of  the  col¬ 
ony  met  at  Branford,  where  each  one  laid  upon  the 
table  his  gift  of  books,  accompanied  by  the  declar¬ 
ation,  “I  give  these  books  for  the  founding  of  a  col¬ 
lege  in  this  colony.”  Forty  volumes  were  thus  con¬ 
tributed.  How  little  did  these  good  men,  as  they 
made  their  humble  offerings,  anticipate  the  import¬ 
ance  and  influence  of  the  college  of  which  they  thus 
laid  the  foundation. 

The  following  year  the  General  Court  granted  a 
charter.  The  professed  object  of  the  college  was  to 
promote  theological  studies  in  particular,  but  after¬ 
ward  so  modified  as  to  admit  of  “instructing  youth 
in  the  arts  and  sciences,  who  may  be  fitted  for  public 
employments,  both  in  church  and  civil  state.”  For 
sixteen  years,  its  sessions  were  held  at  different 
places;  then  it  was  permanently  located  at  New 
Haven.  A  native  of  the  town,  Elihu  Yale,  who  had 
acquired  wealth  in  the  East  Indies,  became  its  bene¬ 
factor,  and  in  return  he  has  been  immortalized  in 
its  name. 

For  forty  years  succeeding  the  rule  of  Fletcher  the 
annals  of  New  York  are  comparatively  barren  of  in¬ 
cident;  during  that  time  the  province  enjoyed  the 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


279 


doubtful  privilege  of  having  ten  governors,  nearly 
all  of  whom  took  special  care  of  their  own  interests 
and  those  of  their  friends.  The  last  of  this  number 
was  the  “violent  and  mercenary”  William  Cosby,  who 
complained  to  the  Board  of  Trade  that  he  could  not 
manage  the  “delegates”  to  the  Assembly ; — “the  ex¬ 
ample  of  Boston  people”  had  so  much  infected  them. 

The  city  of  New  York,  at  this  time,  contained 
nearly  nine  thousand  inhabitants.  The  Weekly 
Journal,  a  paper  recently  established  by  John  Peter 
Zenger,  contained  articles  condemning  the  arbitrary 
acts  of  the  governor  and  Assembly,  in  imposing  il¬ 
legal  taxes.  This  was  the  first  time  in  the  colonies 
the  newspapers  had  dared  to  criticize  political  mea¬ 
sures.  This  new  enemy  of  arbitrary  power  must  be 
crushed.  Governor  Cosby,  with  the  approbation  of 
the  council,  ordered  the  paper  to  be  burned  by  the 
sheriff,  imprisoned  the  editor,  and  prosecuted  him 
for  libel.  Zenger  employed  as  counsel  two  lawyers, 
and  they  denied  the  authority  of  the  court,  because 
of  the  illegal  appointment  of  the  Chief  Justice,  De¬ 
laney,  by  Cosby,  without  the  consent  of  the  Council. 
For  presenting  this  objection,  their  names  were 
promptly  struck  from  the  roll  of  practitioners.  This 
high-handed  measure  intimidated  the  other  lawyers, 
and  deterred  them  from  acting  as  counsel  for  the 
fearless  editor. 

On  the  day  of  trial,  a  venerable  man,  a  stranger 
to  nearly  all  present,  took  his  seat  at  the  bar.  The 
trial  commenced,  and  much  to  the  surprise  of  the 
court,  the  stranger  announced  himself  as  counsel  for 
the  defendant.  It  was  Andrew  Hamilton,  the  famous 
Quaker  lawyer  of  Philadelphia,  and  speaker  of  the 
Assembly  of  Pennsylvania.  Hamilton  proposed  to 
prove  the  truth  of  the  alleged  libel,  but  Delaney,  the 
judge,  in  accordance  with  English  precedents,  re¬ 
fused  to  admit  the  plea.  Then  Hamilton,  with  great 


280 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


force,  appealed  to  the  personal  knowledge  of  the 
jury; — the  statements  in  the  paper  were  notoriously 
true.  He  showed  that  the  cause  was  not  limited  to 
this  editor  alone;  a  principle  was  involved,  that  af¬ 
fected  the  liberty  of  speech  and  a  free  press  through¬ 
out  the  colonies. 

In  spite  of  the  charge  of  the  judge  to  the  con¬ 
trary,  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  acquittal, 
which  was  received  with  rapturous  shouts  by  the 
people.  Thus,  for  the  first  time,  had  the  press  as¬ 
sumed  to  discuss,  and  even  condemn  political  mea¬ 
sures,  and  its  liberty  to  do  so  was  amply  vindicated. 
This  was  thirty-seven  years  before  the  same  princi¬ 
ple  was  established  in  England  by  the  decision  in  the 
trial  for  libel  brought  against  the  publisher  of  the 
famous  letters  of  Junius. 

We  have  now  to  relate  the  story  of  that  sad  de¬ 
lusion  so  identified  with  the  early  history  of  the  quiet 
and  respectable  town  of  Salem,  in  Massachusetts. 
The  belief  in  witchcraft  appears  to  have  been  almost 
universal  in  the  age  of  which  we  write.  As  Chris¬ 
tians  were  in  covenant  with  God,  so,  it  was  believed, 
witches  were  in  covenant  with  the  devil ;  that  he  gave 
them  power  to  torment  those  whom  they  hated  by 
pinching  them,  pricking  them  with  invisible  pins, 
pulling  their  hair,  causing  their  cattle  and  chickens 
to  die,  upsetting  their  carts,  and  by  many  other  an¬ 
noyances,  equally  undignified  and  disagreeable.  As 
Christians  had  a  sacrament  or  communion,  witches 
had  a  communion,  also,  at  which  the  devil  himself 
officiated  in  the  form  of  a  “small  black  man.”  He 
had  a  book  in  which  his  disciples  signed  their  names, 
after  which  they  renounced  their  Christian  baptism, 
and  were  rebaptized,  or  “dipped”  by  himself.  To 
their  places  of  meeting  the  witches  usually  rode 
through  the  air  on  broomsticks. 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


281 


This  delusion,  absurd  as  it  seems  to  be,  was  in 
that  age  believed  by  learned  and  good  men,  such  as 
Sir  Matthew  Hale,  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  England; 
Richard  Baxter,  author  of  the  “Saints’  Rest;”  and 
Dr.  Isaac  Watts,  whose  devotional  “Psalms  and 
Hymns”  are  so  familiar  to  the  religious  world.  For 
this  supposed  crime  many  had,  at  different  times, 
been  executed  in  Sweden,  England,  France,  and  other 
countries  of  Europe.  Before  the  excitement  at  Sa¬ 
lem,  a  few  cases  in  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  had 
been  punished  with  death. 

As  the  Bible  made  mention  of  witches  and  sorcer¬ 
ers, — to  disbelieve  in  their  existence  was  counted  in¬ 
fidelity.  To  disprove  such  infidelity,  Increase  Math¬ 
er,  a  celebrated  clergyman  of  New  England,  pub¬ 
lished  an  account  of  the  cases  that  had  occurred 
there,  and  also  a  description  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  bewitched  persons  were  afflicted.  After  this 
publication,  the  first  case  that  excited  general  inter¬ 
est  was  that  of  a  girl  named  Goodwin.  She  had  ac¬ 
cused  the  daughter  of  an  Irish  washerwoman  of 
stealing  some  article  of  clothing.  The  enraged  moth¬ 
er  disproved  the  charge,  and  in  addition  reproved  the 
false  accuser  severely.  Soon  after,  this  girl  became 
strangely  affected;  her  younger  brother  and  sister 
imitated  her  “contortions  and  twistings.”  These 
children  were  sometimes  dumb,  then  deaf,  then  blind ; 
at  one  time  they  would  bark  like  dogs,  at  another 
mew  like  cats.  A  physician  was  called  in,  who 
gravely  decided  that  they  were  bewitched,  as  they 
had  many  of  the  symptoms  described  in  Mather’s 
book.  The  ministers  became  deeply  interested  in 
the  subject,  and  five  of  them  held  a  day  of  fasting 
and  prayer  at  the  house  of  the  Goodwins,  when  lo ! 
the  youngest  child,  a  boy  of  five  years  of  age,  was 
delivered !  As  the  children  asserted  that  they  were 
bewitched  by  the  Irish  washerwoman,  she  was  ar- 


282 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


rested.  The  poor  creature  was  frightened  out  of  her 
senses,  if  she  had  any,  for  many  thought  she  was 
“crazed  in  her  intellectuals.,,  She  was,  however, 
tried,  convicted  and  hanged. 

There  was  at  this  time  at  Boston  a  young  clergy¬ 
man,  an  indefatigable  student,  remarkable  for  his 
memory  and  for  the  immense  amount  of  verbal 
knowledge  he  possessed;  he  was  withal  somewhat 
vain  and  credulous,  and  exceedingly  fond  of  the  mar¬ 
velous;  no  theory  seems  to  have  been  more  deeply 
rooted  in  his  mind  than  a  belief  in  witchcraft.  Such 
was  Cotton  Mather,  son  of  Increase  Mather.  He 
became  deeply  interested  in  the  case  of  the  Goodwin 
children,  and  began  to  study  the  subject  with  re¬ 
newed  zeal ;  to  do  so  the  more  perfectly,  he  took  the 
girl  to  his  home.  She  was  cunning,  and  soon  discov¬ 
ered  the  weak  points  of  his  character.  She  told  him 
he  was  under  a  special  protection ;  that  devils,  though 
they  tried  hard,  could  not  enter  his  study ;  that  they 
could  not  strike  him ;  the  blows  were  warded  oif  by  an 
invisible,  friendly  hand.  When  he  prayed,  or  read 
the  Bible  she  would  be  thrown  into  convulsions; 
while  at  the  same  time,  she  read  with  zest  Popish 
or  Quaker  books,  or  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 
Mather  uttered  prayers  in  a  variety  of  languages  to 
ascertain  if  these  wicked  spirits  were  learned.  He 
discovered  that  they  were  skilled  in  Latin,  Greek  and 
Hebrew,  but  were  deficient  in  some  Indian  tongues. 
He  sincerely  believed  all  this,  and  wrote  a  book,  “a 
story  all  made  up  of  wonders,”  to  prove  the  truth  of 
withchcraf t ;  and  gave  out  that,  hereafter,  if  any  one 
should  deny  its  existence,  he  should  consider  it  a 
personal  insult.  Mather's  book  was  republished  in 
London,  with  an  approving  preface  written  by  Rich¬ 
ard  Baxter.  This  book  had  its  influence  upon  the 
minds  of  the  people,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the 
sad  scenes  which  followed. 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


2W 

About  four  years  after  the  cases  just  mentioned, 
two  young  girls,  one  the  niece  and  the  other  the 
daughter  of  Samuel  Parris,  the  minister  at  Salem 
village,  now  Danvers,  began  to  exhibit  the  usual 
signs  of  being  bewitched.  They  seemed  to  have  done 
this  at  first  merely  for  mischief,  as  they  accused  no 
one  until  compelled. 

Between  Parris  and  some  of  the  members  cf  his 
congregation  there  existed  much  ill-feeling.  Now 
was  the  time  to  be  revenged!  And  this  “beginner 
and  procurer  of  the  sore  affliction  to  Salem  village 
and  country,”  insisted  that  his  niece  should  tell  who 
it  was  that  bewitched  her,  for  in  spite  of  all  the  ef¬ 
forts  to  “deliver”  them,  the  children  continued  to 
practice  their  pranks.  The  niece  at  length  accused 
Rebecca  Nurse,  a  woman  of  exemplary  and  Christian 
life ;  but  one  with  whom  Parris  was  at  variance.  At 
his  instigation  she  was  hurried  off  to  jail.  The  next 
Sabbath  he  announced  as  his  text  these  words: 
“Have  I  not  chosen  you  twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  a 
devil?”  Immediately  Sarah  Cloyce,  a  sister  of  the 
accused,  arose  and  left  the  church, — in  those  days,  no 
small  offense.  She  too  was  accused  and  sent  to 
prison.  The  excitement  spread,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
nearly  a  hundred  were  accused,  and  remanded  for 
trial. 

After  the  people  had  driven  off  Andros,  Bradstreet 
had  still  continued  to  act  as  governor.  A  new  char¬ 
ter  was  given,  under  which  the  governor  was  to  be 
appointed  by  the  crown.  Sir  William  Phipps,  a  na¬ 
tive  of  New  England,  “an  illiterate  man,  of  violent 
temper,  with  more  of  energy  than  ability,”  was  the 
first  governor.  These  both  obtained  their  offices 
through  the  influence  of  Increase  Mather,  who  was 
then  in  England,  acting  as  agent  for  the  colony. 
Stoughton  had  been  the  friend  of  Andros,  and  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  his  council,  and,  like  Dudley,  was  looked  upon 


284 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


by  the  people  as  their  enemy.  Of  a  proud  and  un¬ 
forgiving  temper,  devoid  of  humane  feelings,  he  was 
self-willed  and  selfish.  The  people  in  a  recent  elec¬ 
tion  had  slighted  him ;  they  scarcely  gave  him  a  vote 
for  the  office  of  judge ;  this  deeply  wounded  his  pride. 
In  his  opinions,  as  to  spirits  and  witches,  he  was  an 
implicit  follower  of  Cotton  Mather,  of  whose  church 
he  was  a  member. 

The  new  governor,  bringing  with  him  the  charter, 
arrived  at  Boston  on  the  fourteenth  of  May.  The 
General  Court  alone  had  authority  to  appoint  Special 
Courts;  but  the  governor's  first  official  act  was  to 
appoint  one  to  try  the  witches  confined  in  prison  at 
Salem.  The  triumph  of  Mather  was  complete ;  he  re¬ 
joiced  that  the  warfare  with  the  spirits  of  darkness 
was  now  to  be  carried  on  vigorously,  and  he  “prayed 
for  a  good  issue." 

The  illegal  court  met,  and  Parris  acted  as  prose¬ 
cutor,  producing  some  witnesses  and  keeping  back 
others.  The  prisoners  were  made  to  stand  with  their 
arms  extended,  lest  they  should  torment  their  vic¬ 
tims.  The  glance  of  the  witch's  eye  was  terrible  to 
the  “afflicted;''  for  its  evil  influence  there  was  but 
one  remedy ;  the  touch  of  the  accused  could  alone  re¬ 
move  the  charm.  Abigail  Williams,  the  niece  of  Par¬ 
ris,  was  told  to  touch  one  of  the  prisoners ;  she  made 
the  attempt,  but  desisted,  screaming  out,  “My  fin¬ 
gers,  they  burn,  they  burn!"  She  was  an  adept  in 
testifying;  she  had  been  asked  to  sign  the  devil's 
book  by  the  spectre  of  one  of  the  accused  women,  and 
she  had  also  been  permitted  to  see  a  witch's  sacra¬ 
ment.  All  this  was  accepted  by  the  court  as  true  and 
proper  evidence.  If  a  witness  contradicted  himself, 
it  was  explained  by  assuming  that  the  evil  spirit  had 
imposed  upon  his  brain.  A  farmer  had  a  servant, 
who  suddenly  became  bewitched ;  his  master  whipped 
him  and  thus  exorcised  the  devil,  and  had  the  rash- 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


285 


ness  to  say  that  he  could  cure  any  of  “the  afflicted” 
by  the  same  process.  For  this  he  soon  found  himself 
and  wife  in  prison.  Remarks  made  by  the  prisoners 
were  often  construed  to  their  disadvantage.  George 
Burroughs,  once  a  minister  at  Salem,  and  of  whom 
it  is  said  Parris  was  envious,  had  expressed  his  dis¬ 
belief  in  witchcraft  and  pronounced  the  whole  af¬ 
fair  a  delusion.  For  this  he  was  arrested  as  a  wiz¬ 
ard.  On  his  trial  the  witness  pretended  to  be  dumb. 
‘Why,”  asked  the  stern  Stoughton  of  the  prisoner, 
'are  these  witnesses  dumb?”  Burroughs  believed 
they  were  perjuring  themselves,  and  promptly  an¬ 
swered,  “The  devil  is  in  them,  I  suppose.”  “Ah !  ah !” 
said  the  exulting  judge ;  “how  is  it  that  he  is  loath  to 
have  any  testimony  borne  against  you?”  This  de¬ 
cided  the  case;  Burroughs  was  condemned.  From 
the  scaffold  he  made  an  address  to  the  people,  and 
put  his  enemies  to  shame.  He  did  what  it  was  be¬ 
lieved  no  witch  could  do;  he  repeated  the  Lord's 
Prayer  distinctly  and  perfectly.  The  crowd  was 
strongly  impressed  in  his  favor;  many  believed  him 
innocent,  and  many  were  moved  even  to  tears,  and 
some  seemed  disposed  to  rescue  him;  but  Cotton 
Mather  appeared  on  horseback,  and  harangued  the 
crowd,  maintaining  that  Burroughs  was  not  a  true 
minister,  that  he  had  not  been  ordained,  that  the  fair 
show  he  made  was  no  proof  of  his  innocence,  for 
Satan  himself  sometimes  appeared  as  an  angel  of 
light. 

Many  of  the  accused  confessed  they  were  witches, 
and  by  that  means  purchased  their  lives ;  and  some, 
to  make  their  own  safety  doubly  sure,  accused  oth¬ 
ers  :  thus  the  delusion  continued.  Then,  again,  others 
who  had  confessed,  repented  that  they  had  acknowl¬ 
edged  themselves  to  be  what  they  were  not,  denied 
their  confession,  and  died  with  the  rest.  The  accu¬ 
sations  were  at  first  made  against  those  in  the 


286  HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

humbler  walks  of  life;  now  others  were  accused. 
Hale,  the  minister  at  Beverly,  was  a  believer  in 
witchcraft,  till  his  own  wife  was  accused;  then  he 
was  convinced  it  was  all  a  delusion. 

Some  months  elapsed  before  the  General  Court 
held  its  regular  session;  in  the  meantime  twenty 
persons  had  fallen  victims,  and  fifty  more  were  in 
prison  with  the  same  fate  hanging  over  them.  Now 
a  great  revulsion  took  place  in  public  opinion.  This 
was  brought  about  by  a  citizen  of  Boston,  Robert 
Calef,  who  wrote  a  pamphlet,  first  circulated  in  man¬ 
uscript.  He  exposed  the  manner  in  which  the  trials 
had  been  conducted,  as  well  as  proved  the  absurdity 
of  witchcraft  itself.  Cotton  Mather,  in  his  reply, 
sneered  at  Calef  as  “a  weaver  who  pretended  to  be  a 
merchant.”  Calef,  not  intimidated  by  this  abuse, 
continued  to  write  with  great  effect,  and  presently 
the  book  was  published  in  London.  Increase  Mather, 
the  President  of  Harvard  College,  to  avenge  his  son, 
had  the  “weaver’s”  book  publicly  burned  in  the  col¬ 
lege  yard. 

In  the  first  case  brought  before  the  court,  the  jury 
promptly  brought  in  a  verdict  of  not  guilty.  When 
news  came  to  Salem  of  the  reprieve  of  those  under 
sentence,  the  fanatical  Stoughton,  in  a  rage,  left  the 
bench,  exclaiming,  “Who  is  it  that  obstructs  the 
course  of  justice  I  know  not ;  the  Lord  have  mercy  on 
the  country.” 

Not  long  after,  the  indignant  inhabitants  of  Salem 
drove  Parris  from  their  village.  Many  of  those  who 
had  participated  in  the  delusion,  and  given  their  in¬ 
fluence  in  favor  of  extreme  measures,  deeply  re¬ 
pented  and  publicly  asked  forgiveness  of  their  fel¬ 
low-citizens.  But  Cotton  Mather  expressed  no  regret 
for  the  part  he  had  taken,  or  the  influence  he  exerted 
in  increasing  the  delusion;  his  vanity  never  would 
admit  that  he  could  possibly  have  been  in  error.  In- 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


287 


stead  of  being  humbled  on  account  of  the  sorrows  he 
had  brought  upon  innocent  persons,  he  labored  to 
convince  the  world  that,  after  all,  he  had  not  been  so 
very  active  in  promoting  the  delusion.  Stoughton 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days  the  same  cold, 
proud,  and  heartless  man ;  nor  did  he  ever  manifest 
the  least  sorrow,  that  on  such  trifling  and  contra¬ 
dictory  evidence,  he  had  sentenced  to  death  some  of 
the  best  men  and  women. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  record  that,  thirty  years  after 
this  melancholy  delusion,  Cotton  Mather,  with  fear¬ 
less  energy  advocated  the  use  of  inoculation  for  the 
prevention  of  smallpox.  He  had  learned  that  it  was 
successful  in  Turkey,  in  arresting  or  modifying  that 
terrible  disease,  and  he  persuaded  Dr.  Boylston  to 
make  the  experiment.  Mather  stood  firm,  amid  the 
clamors  of  the  ignorant  mob,  who  even  threw  a  light¬ 
ed  grenade  filled  with  combustibles  into  his  house, 
and  paraded  the  streets  of  Boston,  with  halters  in 
their  hands,  threatening  to  hang  the  inoculators. 
The  majority  of  the  physicians  opposed  inoculation 
on  theological  grounds,  contending,  “it  was  presump¬ 
tuous  for  men  to  inflict  disease  on  man,  that  being 
the  prerogative  of  the  Most  High.”  “It  was  de¬ 
nounced  as  an  infusion  of  malignity  into  the  blood ;  a 
species  of  poisoning ;  an  attempt  to  thwart  God,  who 
had  sent  the  smallpox  as  a  punishment  for  sins,  and 
whose  vengeance  would  thus  be  only  provoked  the 
more.”  Nearly  all  the  ministers  were  in  favor  of  the 
system,  and  they  replied  with  arguments  drawn  from 
medical  science.  An  embittered  war  of  pamphlets 
ensued.  The  town  authorities  took  decided  ground 
against  the  innovation,  while  the  General  Court 
passed  a  bill  prohibiting  the  practice,  but  the  Council 
wisely  refused  to  give  it  their  sanction.  At  length 
science  and  common  sense  prevailed,  and  the  inocu¬ 
lists  completely  triumphed. 


288 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


Much  has  been  said  and  written,  more  or  less 
justly,  in  condemnation  of  these  strange  proceed¬ 
ings;  however,  from  this  time  forth  the  belief  in 
witchcraft  began  '.o  wane  in  New  England,  and  the 
civil  authorities  noticed  it  no  more.  In  justice  to 
the  misguided  actors  in  this  sad  tragedy  it  ought 
to  be  remembered  that  for  half  a  century  afterward, 
the  law  of  the  mother  country,  as  it  always  had  done, 
still  made  witchcraft  a  capital  crime;  and  within 
thirty  years  after  these  terrible  scenes  in  Salem,  per¬ 
sons  accused  of  witchcraft  were  condemned  and  put 
to  death,  both  in  England  and  Scotland ;  in  the  former 
a  mother  and  her  daughter — nine  years  old — perished 
together  on  the  same  scaffold ;  in  the  latter,  six  years 
afterward,  an  old  woman  was  burned  as  a  witch; 
and  even  Blackstone,  when  writing  on  the  laws  of 
England  in  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
deems  witchcraft  a  crime. 

No  one  of  these  persons  at  Salem  suffered  by  that 
barbarous  form  of  execution — burning;  nor  were 
they  put  to  the  rack  and  torture.  What  a  tribute  it 
is  to  the  integrity  of  these  twenty  victims  that  they 
refused  to  stain  their  souls  with  the  crime  of  false¬ 
hood,  “and  went  to  the  gallows  rather  than  soil  their 
consciences  by  the  lie  of  confession.”*  For  if  they 
confessed  themselves  to  be  witches,  “and  promised 
blameless  lives  for  the  future,  they  were  uniformly 
pardoned.” 

The  seven  magistrates  composing  this  illegal  court 
held  at  Salem  were  evidently  sincere  in  the  perform¬ 
ance  of  their  official  duties,  yet  the  sternness  of 
Stoughton,  the  chief  judge,  seems  to  savor  of  fanat¬ 
icism,  as  shown  in  his  permitting  the  trials  to  be 
hurried  through  without  proper  deliberation;  had 
they  been  postponed  to  the  regular  meeting  of  the 
General  Court,  some  months  distant,  the  issue,  no 

*Palfrey’s  History  of  New  England,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  138. 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


289 


doubt,  would  have  been  far  different.  The  magis¬ 
trates  in  Plymouth  County  were  more  enlightened, 
for  when,  many  years  previous  to  this  time,  two 
prosecutions  for  witchcraft  having  been  brought  be¬ 
fore  them,  the  accused  were  declared  not  guilty. 

Notwithstanding  this  mistaken  zeal  in  punishing 
imaginary  crime,  it  is  but  justice  to  notice  that  the 
penal  laws  enacted  by  the  Puritans  of  New  England 
were  in  their  humane  characteristics  far  in  advance 
of  those  of  the  same  period  in  Europe,  especially  in 
England,  with  which  the  comparison  may  be  more 
properly  made.  Even  down  to  1819  there  were  in 
England  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  offenses  pun¬ 
ishable  with  death,  while  in  the  very  first  formation 
of  the  government  in  the  colonies  of  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut,  and  New  Haven,  the  crimes  punished 
capitally  were  limited  to  seventeen,  and  some  of 
these  with  express  reservations,  “leaving  the  exac¬ 
tion  of  the  supreme  penalty  to  the  discretion  of  the 
court.”  “Larceny  above  the  value  of  twelve  pence 
was  a  capital  crime  in  England ;”  also,  “to  kill  a  deer 
in  the  king’s  forest,  or  to  export  sheep  from  the 
kingdom.”  It  is  but  just  to  compare  the  laws  enacted 
in  these  colonies  with  the  contemporary  ones  in  the 
Motherland,  and  not  with  those  of  the  first  quarter  of 
the  twentieth  century.  The  marvel  is  that,  coming 
from  a  country  where  such  barbarous  laws  were  in 
force,  the  colonists  had  the  moral  power  to  rise  above 
the  prejudices  and  brutalities  of  the  age,  and  frame 
penal  laws  so  much  more  humane.  It  may  serve  as 
an  explanation  that  the  Puritans  of  New  England 
fell  back  upon  the  code  of  Moses  as  a  model,  deeming 
that  to  be  an  embodiment  of  the  law  of  God  for  His 
people;  sometimes  forgetting,  however,  that  these 
laws  did  not  fully  apply  in  the  seventeenth  century  of 
the  Christian  era. 

In  the  recognition  of  human  rights  these  colonial 


290 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


lawgivers  were  far  in  advance  of  the  contemporary 
legislators  of  Europe.  With  the  former  it  was  a 
cardinal  principle  to  give  every  citizen  a  chance  to 
improve  his  temporal  affairs  by  industry  and  econ¬ 
omy,  and  to  educate  his  children.  Their  settlements, 
in  accordance  with  the  law,  were  originally  arranged 
so  that  each  member  of  the  community  had  an  in¬ 
terest  in  its  affairs  by  his  becoming  a  land  holder, 
and  a  participant  in  the  councils  of  the  Town  Meet¬ 
ings,  and  indirectly  in  those  of  the  colony  at  large, 
through  representatives  elected  by  the  aid  of  his 
vote.  The  farms  were  so  laid  out  that  their  length 
greatly  exceeded  their  breadth,  and  each  farmer 
could  thus  have  his  house  near  a  neighbor;  usually 
their  dwellings  were  built  on  a  single  street,  the 
farms  running  back,  while  the  church  and  school- 
house  were  so  located  as  to  be  accessible  to  all.  This 
plan  of  laying  out  settlements,  though  at  first  en¬ 
joined  by  the  civil  authorities,  was  afterward,  be¬ 
cause  of  its  utility,  adopted  in  numerous  instances 
by  the  people  themselves.  This  system  accounts  for 
the  greater  number  of  villages  in  the  colonies  of  New 
England  in  proportion  to  their  extent  of  territory 
than  are  in  the  Middle,  and  still  more  in  the  Southern, 
colonies. 

Another  division,  the  township  or  town  as  it  was 
usually  termed,  was  a  district  marked  off  of  con¬ 
venient  size,  to  enable  the  male  inhabitants  to  attend 
the  town  meetings,  which  were  held  at  a  point  known 
as  the  “Centre,”  in  which  meetings  measures  pertain¬ 
ing  to  the  wellbeing  of  the  people  were  discussed  and 
voted  upon — such  as  related  to  schools,  the  highways, 
the  district  taxes,  etc.  Under  these  conditions  all  the 
residents  became  interested  in  the  local  affairs  of  the 
community.  The  transition  was  natural  and  easy 
for  citizens  thus  trained  to  manifest  a  similar  inter¬ 
est  in  the  general  prosperity  of  the  colony,  and  its 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


291 


relations  with  the  Home  Government.  In  conse¬ 
quence  of  this  political  schooling,  we  find  that  on  the 
great  questions  which  came  up  a  hundred  years  later, 
these  “citizens  of  the  common  folk”  were  remarkably 
well  informed,  and  the  sentiments  of  the  most  intel¬ 
ligent  patriots  of  that  period  found  in  their  minds  a 
ready  response.  For  the  times  this  kind  of  informa¬ 
tion  was  therefore  extensively  diffused  by  the  inter¬ 
course  between  citizens,  as  well  as  by  means  of  print¬ 
ing;  for  in  the  earlier  days  that  medium  was  often 
used  by  leading  minds  to  express  their  views  upon 
current  topics  of  interest.  The  printing-press  was 
specially  utilized  in  the  issue  of  short  publications  in 
the  form  of  pamphlets  in  discussing  questions  of  local 
interest;  among  these  theology  held  a  prominent 
place.  These  wars  of  pamphlets  came  often  and  were 
violent  while  they  lasted.  The  mass  of  the  people 
were  not  then  far  enough  advanced  in  literary  at¬ 
tainments  to  sustain  newspapers,  as  they  were  known 
even  a  century  later,  but  on  religious  topics  and  on 
political  subjects  they  were  wide  awake.  These  short 
publications,  so  often  controversial,  served  their 
purpose,  and  in  their  way  influenced  the  most  en¬ 
lightened  minds,  and  they  in  turn  those  with  whom 
they  came  in  personal  contact. 

The  system  of  landholding1  and  town  meetings 
cultivated  the  self-respect  of  every  citizen,  and  dig¬ 
nified  the  most  humble  with  the  consciousness  that 
he  was  a  member  of  the  community,  and  in  the  di¬ 
rection  of  its  affairs  the  influence  he  might  have  he 
was  at  liberty  to  exercise. 

This  was  the  outgrowth  of  the  democratic  principle 
which  found  its  expression  for  the  first  time  on  this 
side  of  the  world  in  the  cabin  of  the  May-Flower.2 
The  system  of  dividing  counties  into  towns  or  town¬ 
ships  prevailed,  also,  in  the  other  colonies  that  after- 

iHistory,  p.  105.  2History,  p.  99. 


292 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ward  became  free  states,  and  in  them,  likewise,  the 
minor  local  affairs  were  managed  by  the  citizens  in 
township  meetings ;  but  not  to  the  same  extent  they 
were  in  New  England,  because  the  people  were  not  so 
homogeneous,  there  being  a  large  proportion  that 
were  not  of  Anglo-Saxon  descent,  neither  were  they 
so  harmonious  nor  so  far  advanced  in  their  political 
views.  In  these  colonies  and  states,  however,  the 
people  elected  their  own  civil  officers,  while  in  the 
southern  they  were  nearly  all  appointed  by  the  Gov¬ 
ernors,  Legislatures,  or  County  Courts.  This  latter 
custom,  together  with  the  restrictions  on  suffrage, 
greatly  diminished  the  independence  of  the  individ¬ 
ual  ;  for,  instead  of  the  power  being  lodged  with  the 
people  themselves,  it  was  exercised  by  a  self-consti- 
tuted  oligarchy. 

During  the  three-quarters  of  a  century  immediate¬ 
ly  succeeding  the  great  Revolution  of  England  the 
principles — religious  and  political — which  the  colo¬ 
nists  had  adopted  as  their  rule  of  conduct,  exerted 
a  free  and  benign  influence ;  consequently  their  prog¬ 
ress,  under  the  circumstances,  was  very  great.  This 
revolution  secured  so  much  for  the  religious  liberties 
of  the  English  people,  that  afterward  when  any  emi¬ 
grated  to  the  colonies,  it  was  not  on  account  of  re¬ 
ligious  disabilities,  but  to  better  their  material  in¬ 
terests.  Among  those  who  came  during  this  period 
were  companies  of  Protestants,  such  as  the  Presby¬ 
terians1  from  Scotland,  the  Scotch-Irish  from  the 
north  of  Ireland,  Huguenots  from  France,  and  Lu¬ 
therans  from  Germany.  These  immigrants  exerted 
a  healthy  influence  on  the  country,  in  promoting  its 
material  prosperity  by  their  industry  and  economy, 
and  coalescing  with  the  colonists  in  their  educa¬ 
tional  and  religious  matters.  They  blended  easily 

^History,  163,  172,  175,  179,  193. 

I 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


293 


with  the  people,  and  became  thoroughly  assimilated 
in  less  than  two  generations. 

As  New  England  and  Virginia  were  populous  and 
important  colonies,  they  became  centers  of  influences 
that  produced  certain  results  during  the  six  genera¬ 
tions1  following  the  witchcraft  excitement  in  the  one, 
and  the  attempt  under  Bacon  2  to  vindicate  the 
rights  of  the  people  in  the  other. 

In  the  Virginia  colony  the  distribution  of  the 
territory  was  radically  different  from  that  in  New 
England.  In  the  former  were  large  undivided  count¬ 
ies,  instead  of  the  districts  of  convenient  size  in  the 
latter  in  order  to  maintain  schools  and  churches,  thus 
making  compact  settlements  of  land-owners  indepen¬ 
dent  and  self-respecting.  Lands  in  Virginia  were 
frequently  given  by  the  crown  to  court  favorites  3 
in  immense  grants,  and  on  these  were  to  be  located 
tenants;  the  effect  upon  these  tenants  was  not  to 
cherish  independence  of  character,  but  the  reverse. 
In  consequence  of  this  system  of  royal  grants  farms 
of  moderate  size  became  the  exceptions ;  the  tendency 
was  for  the  rich  to  own  lands  in  very  large  estates, 
thus  widely  separating  the  homes  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  poor  or  small  farmers  gradually  withdrew  from 
the  fertile  lands  of  the  main  settlements  to  districts 
more  sterile,  and  being  deprived  of  the  appropriate 
means  to  educate  their  children,  they  made  little  im¬ 
provement  from  generation  to  generation.  None  but 
landholders  were  permitted  to  vote,  and,  as  far  as 
known,  none  but  that  class  were  elected  legislators, 
thus  laying  the  foundation  for  a  landed  aristocracy 
modeled  after  that  of  England;  to  this  class  was 
added  another  element  of  aggrandizement — the  sys¬ 
tem  of  slavery.  From  this  time  forward  there  was 
more  importance  attached  to  wealth  in  landed  es- 

1History,  pp.  858-860.  2History,  pp.  139-144. 

3History,  pp.  141-143. 


294 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


tates  and  slaves  than  in  any  other  form.  As  “only 
freeholders  could  vote  for  members  of  the  house 
of  Burgesses,”  so  it  came  to  pass,  in  process  of  time, 
that  none  but  slave-owners  were  elected  to  office. 

In  respect  to  education,  the  spirit  of  Berkeley 
seemed  to  brood  over  successive  Virginia  legisla¬ 
tures  ;  during  one  hundred  and  ninety  years  after  his 
time  neither  as  a  colony  nor  as  a  state  did  they  es¬ 
tablish  schools  where  all  the  children  could  be  edu¬ 
cated,  while  it  required  more  than  half  a  century  to 
prepare  the  aristocracy  for  the  innovation  of  a  print¬ 
ing  press.  The  “poor  whites”  in  Virginia  never  re¬ 
covered  from  the  blow  they  received  at  the  failure  of 
their  uprising  under  Bacon;  twenty  of  their  most 
progressive  and  patriotic  men  perished  on  the  scaf¬ 
fold  by  order  of  the  inhuman  Berkeley,  and  from 
that  time  forward  they  made  little  progress.1  This 
influence  extended  gradually  south  from  Virginia  to 
the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,  where  the  same  system 
prevailed  of  large  tracts  of  the  best  land  being  culti¬ 
vated  by  slaves,  and  with  the  usual  result  of  driving 
the  “poor  whites”  back  to  the  unfertile  districts.  In 
these  colonies,  and  afterward  when  states,  no  schools 
were  established  to  educate  all  the  children. 

Meanwhile  the  influence  of  slavery  grew  stronger 
and  stronger ;  manual  labor  for  a  white  man  became  a 
badge  of  degradation,  which  attached  itself  to  him 
and  to  his  children.  There  is  no  sadder  story  in  our 
history  than  is  revealed  in  the  inner  life  of  the  “poor 
whites”  of  the  South  during  these  two  centuries. 
They  made  but  little  progress.  They  cultivated 
sterile  fields  merely  to  eke  out  a  scanty  subsistence ; 
as  to  manufactures,  they  were  only  by  hand,  and  of 
the  crudest  kind,  to  supply  their  domestic  wants ;  in 
the  main,  the  great  mass  making  little  advance  in 
education  or  in  mental  improvement.  This  may  ac- 

1Lodge,s  History  of  the  Colonies;  Virginia,  p.  21,  and  onward. 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


295 


count  for  the  fact  that  so  limited  a  number  of  that 
class  rose  above  their  condition  in  times  of  great 
trial,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Revolution,  when,  com¬ 
paratively,  very  few  of  them  displayed  talents  of  a 
high  order.  The  most  prominent  of  these  was  Daniel 
Morgan.1.  When  their  youth  came  to  manhood  they 
were  cramped  by  lack  of  education. 

Another  effectual  cause  of  hindering  the  political 
progress  of  the  mechanic  or  farmer  of  limited  means, 
was  the  manner  in  which  civil  affairs  were  con¬ 
ducted.  In  the  large  counties  of  these  colonies  and 
states,  the  Court  House  was  located  near  the  center, 
and  to  meet  at  “The  Court”  became  the  practice  of 
the  aristocracy,  there  to  see  their  compeers  from  all 
parts  of  the  county:  this  custom  passed  over  from 
colonial  times  to  be  more  fully  carried  out  in  the 
States.  In  these  meetings  they  discussed  measures 
in  relation  to  the  interests  of  the  county  as  well  as 
general  politics.  The  nominal  citizen  now  owning 
land  had  no  vote,  and  therefore  he  took  little  or  no 
interest  in  these  county  gatherings,  and  the  distinc¬ 
tion  became  still  more  clear,  so  that  he  who  owned 
a  small  farm  and  no  slaves,  felt  ill  at  ease  in  an  as¬ 
sembly  where  mere  wealth  in  land  and  slaves  ex¬ 
erted  so  much  influence.  It  was  the  landed  aristoc¬ 
racy  who  held  office  under  colonial  governors,  and 
who  were  their  accepted  advisers ;  in  the  South,  from 
this  class  alone  came  the  enlightened  patriots  of  the 
Revolution ;  none  scarcely  from  the  ranks  of  manual 
labor  or  small  farmers.  The  intercourse  between 
the  rich  land  and  slave  owners  and  their  poorer 
neighbors  was  characterized  by  an  obsequiousness  on 
the  part  of  the  latter  totally  unknown  in  the  northern 
colonies ;  in  them  the  value  of  knowledge  and  moral 
excellence  was  more  clearly  estimated,  while  that  of 

iHistory,  p.  380;  also,  Sergeant  Jasper,  p.  406. 

2History,  pp.  170-174. 


296 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


mere  wealth  was  reckoned  only  secondary  in  the  so¬ 
cial  position  of  the  individual. 

Of  the  middle  colonies  during  this  period  the  most 
advanced  in  literary  culture  was  Pennsylvania. 
Though  she  had  no  public  schools  in  a  wide  sense,  yet 
under  the  influence  of  the  French  her  private  ones, 
were  the  best  of  their  kind.  Then  came  a  large  emi¬ 
gration  of  Germans2  who  became  famous  as  farmers, 
but  unfortunately  not  so  famous  for  the  interest  they 
took  in  education.  The  contrast  between  them  in 
this  respect  and  the  Friends  and  Presbyterians1  was 
very  striking.  In  New  Jersey  the  schools  were  pri¬ 
vate,  none  were  public;  but  the  Presbyterian  ele¬ 
ment1  moulded  the  minds  of  the  youth,  by  instilling 
the  truths  of  the  Bible  as  they  deemed  them  sum¬ 
marized  in  their  catechism;  through  their  influence 
Princeton  college  was  founded.  The  same  in  respect 
to  private  schools  may  be  said  of  the  Dutch  of  New 
York.  In  this  colony,  however,  occurred  the  first 
instance  in  the  English-speaking  world  of  a  trial  in 
court  in  which  the  freedom2  of  the  press  was  fully 
established,  and  has  remained  so  from  that  day  to 
this. 

When  newspapers  were  first  printed  in  the  seven¬ 
teenth  century  the  arbitrary  colonial  governments 
suppressed  them  without  hesitation  if  they  contained 
anything  these  gentlemen  did  not  relish.  The  first 
newspaper  published  in  the  colonies — “The  Public 
Occurrences” — was  at  Boston ;  it  was  simply  a  print¬ 
ed  narrative  of  events,  instead  of  the  usual  one  in 
manuscript,  giving  the  current  news.  The  only  copy 
of  this  paper  known  to  exist  is  in  the  Colonial  State 
Paper  Office  in  London.3  It  was  confiscated  no 
doubt.  Fourteen  years  afterward  the  first  weekly 
newspaper  in  the  colonies  was  established  also  in 

history,  pp.  236,  318.  2History,  p.  221. 

3Hudson’s  Journalism,  p.  44. 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


297 


Boston—  “The  News-Letter” — by  Benjamin  Harris. 
“The  News-Letter”  lived  seventy  years. 

“The  American  Weekly  Mercury”  was  founded  in 
Philadelphia,  and  ten  years  later  in  the  same  city 
Benjamin  Franklin  published  the  first  number  of  the 
“Pennsylvania  Gazette ;”  two  years  later  “The  South 
Carolina  Gazette”  began  its  existence  in  Charleston, 
and  five  years  afterward  “The  Virginia  Gazette” 
made  its  appearance  at  Williamsburg. 

The  influence  was  reciprocal ;  as  these  papers  grad¬ 
ually  advanced  in  excellence,  the  people,  meanwhile, 
were  becoming  more  and  more  intelligent  and  better 
qualified  to  appreciate  their  merits.  They  flourished 
more  vigorously  in  the  New  England  and  in  the  three 
northern  middle  colonies  than  elsewhere.  In  the 
former  especially  the  prevalence  of  common  schools 
had  made  the  great  mass  of  the  people  readers ;  in  ad¬ 
dition  the  harsh  climate  of  that  section,  when  com¬ 
pared  with  the  more  genial  one  of  the  southern,  led 
the  people  to  cultivate  indoor  industries,  and  during 
the  long  and  severe  winters,  to  acquire  knowledge 
and  mental  improvement  by  reading.  Meantime  a 
marvelous  change  had  been  going  on  during  the 
French  war,  which  assumed  a  decided  character  at 
its  close.  Now  began  the  discussion,  both  by  ad¬ 
dresses  of  prominent  men  and  in  the  newspapers,  of 
the  political  questions  involved  in  the  policy  of  the 
Home  Government,  in  its  endeavor  to  interfere  with 
the  civil  rights  and  industries  of  the  colonies.  The 
whole  people  were  intensely  roused  to  this  phase  of 
thought,  and  to  the  maintenance  of  their  rights.  In 
this  clash  of  opinions  the  press  became  a  still  greater 
power,  both  in  force  and  in  numbers.  It  became  the 
exponent,  to  a  certain  extent,  of  the  sentiments  of 


298 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


the  royalists  as  well  as  the  patriots,  while  the  people 
themselves  were  stirred  to  their  inmost  souls.1 

The  questions  relating  to  civil  and  religious  liberty 
absorbed  the  thoughts  of  the  colonists  so  much  that 
we  learn  only  incidentally  concerning  their  material 
progress,  as  the  chronicles  of  the  times  give  us  only 
occasionally  a  glimpse  of  the  domestic  life  of  the  peo¬ 
ple.  We  know  that  the  New  Englanders,  more  than 
the  people  of  the  middle  or  southern  colonies,  were 
compelled  by  the  barrenness  of  their  soil  and  the 
bleakness  of  their  climate  to  labor  almost  incessantly 
in  obtaining  a  supply  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  They 
carefully  cultivated  wheat,  but  the  sterile  soil  re¬ 
fused  abundant  crops ;  and  they  also  devoted  care  to 
raising  rye  and  Indian  corn.  It  was  different  in  the 
middle  and  the  southern  colonies:  in  them  the  soil 
was  much  more  fertile,  and  the  climate  more  genial ; 
the  crops  of  wheat  and  Indian  corn  in  the  former 
were  abundant,  while  in  the  latter  tobacco  was  the 
most  valuable  product,  because  of  its  ready  sale. 
This  led  to  its  extensive  culture,  almost  to  the  ex¬ 
clusion  of  the  cereals — the  latter  were  supplied  by 
the  middle  colonies:  even  in  that  early  day  the  dif¬ 
ferent  sections  of  the  land  were  dependent  upon  one 
another.  The  rapid  sale  and  high  price  of  tobacco 
led  to  the  introduction  of  foreign  luxuries,  and  made 
the  planters  dependent  on  England,  especially  for 
their  needed  manufactured  articles.  On  the  con¬ 
trary,  the  handicraft  of  the  New  Englanders  and 
the  people  of  the  middle  colonies  was  constantly  im¬ 
proving,  because  they  had  no  valuable  product  like 
tobacco  to  send  to  Europe  to  exchange  for  merchan¬ 
dise — not  even  to  any  extent  for  textile  fabrics; 
hence  they  were  compelled  to  manufacture  these 
articles  for  themselves. 

v 

1See  History,  chap.  XXIV.,  pp.  317-324,  for  characteris¬ 
tics  of  the  colonists. 


COMMOTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


299 


In  the  one  section  the  working  animal  most  prized 
was  the  ox,  so  patient  and  useful  in  cultivating  the 
rocky  farms  in  little  valleys  and  on  hillsides,  and  the 
cows  furnishing  so  much  food  for  the  family,  and  the 
sheep  for  the  production  of  wool.  In  the  middle 
colonies  the  ox  was  used,  but  not  so  much  as  the 
draft  horse,  in  cultivating  the  large  wheat  fields; 
while  in  Virginia  the  hoe  was  as  necessary,  if  not 
more,  than  the  plow  in  cultivating  tobacco.  The  Vir¬ 
ginian  cherished  the  horse  as  the  noblest  of  animals, 
and  imported  from  England  the  finest  for  the  saddle, 
for  hunting,  and  for  racing,  meanwhile  neglecting 
his  domestic  cattle. 


\ 


CHAPTER  XIX 

1634—1687 

MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCE 

The  Emigrants  Few  in  Number — The  Jesuits;  Their  Zeal  as 
Teachers  and  Explorers — Missions  Among  the  Hurons — 
Ahasistari — The  Five  Nations,  or  Iroquois — Father 
Jogues — The  Abenakis;  Dreuilettes — The  Dangers  of  the 
Missions — French  Settlers  at  Oswego — James  Marquette 
— The  Mississippi — La  Salle;  His  Enterprise;  His  Failure 
and  Tragical  End. 

We  have  already  given  an  account  of  the  discov¬ 
eries  made  in  New  France,  and  the  settlements 
founded  under  the  direction  of  Samuel  Champlain. 
We  now  intend  to  trace  the  history  of  these  settle¬ 
ments  and  missions,  from  that  period  till  the  time 
when  the  Lily  of  France  was  supplanted  by  the 
Banner  of  St.  George. 

The  climate  offered  but  few  inducements  to  culti¬ 
vators  of  the  soil,  and  emigrants  came  but  slowly; 
they  established  trading  houses,  rather  than  agricul¬ 
tural  settlements.  To  accumulate  wealth  their  main 
resource  was  in  the  peltries  of  the  wilderness,  and 
these  could  be  obtained  only  from  the  Indians,  who 
roamed  over  the  vast  regions  west  and  north  of  the 
lakes. 

A  partial  knowledge  of  the  country  had  been  ob¬ 
tained  from  a  priest,  Father  Le  Caron,  the  friend  and 
companion  of  Champlain.  He  had,  by  groping 
through  the  woods,  and  paddling  over  the  waters  in  his 
birch  bark  canoe,  penetrated  far  up  the  St.  Lawrence, 
explored  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  even 
found  his  way  to  Lake  Huron. 

Three  years  before  the  death  of  Champlain,  Louis 


MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCE 


301 


XIII.  gave  a  charter  to  a  company,  granting  them 
the  control  of  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  all 
its  tributaries.  An  interest  was  felt  for  the  poor  sav¬ 
ages,  and  it  was  resolved  to  convert  them  to  the  re¬ 
ligion  of  Rome; — not  only  convert  them,  but  make 
them  the  allies  of  France.  Worldly  policy  had  as 
much  influence  as  religious  zeal.  It  was  plain,  the 
only  way  to  found  a  French  empire  in  the  New  World, 
was  by  making  the  native  tribes  subjects,  and  not  by 
transplanting  Frenchmen. 

The  missions  to  the  Indians  were  transferred  to 
the  supervision  of  the  Jesuits.  This  order  of  priests 
was  founded  expressly  to  counteract  the  influence  of 
the  Reformation  under  Luther.  As  the  Reformers 
favored  education  and  the  diffusion  of  general  intel¬ 
ligence,  so  the  Jesuit  became  the  advocate  of  educa¬ 
tion — provided  it  was  under  his  own  control.  He  re¬ 
solved  to  rule  the  world  by  influencing  its  rulers ;  he 
would  govern  by  intellectual  power  and  the  force  of 
opinion,  rather  than  by  superstitious  fears.  He  en¬ 
deavored  to  turn  the  principles  of  the  Reformation 
against  itself.  His  vows  enjoined  upon  him  perfect 
obedience  to  the  will  of  his  superior, — to  go  on  any 
mission  to  which  he  might  be  ordered.  No  clime  so 
deadly  that  he  would  not  brave  its  danger ;  no  people 
so  savage  that  he  would  not  attempt  their  conversion. 

With  their  usual  energy  and  zeal,  the  Jesuits  be¬ 
gan  to  explore  the  wilds  of  New  France,  and  to  bring 
its  wilder  inhabitants  under  the  influence  of  the  Cath¬ 
olic  faith.  To  the  convert  was  offered  the  privileges 
of  a  subject  of  France.  From  this  sprang  a  social 
equality,  friendly  relations  were  established,  and  in¬ 
termarriages  took  place  between  the  traders  and  the 
Indian  women. 

Companies  of  Hurons,  who  dwelt  on  the  shores  of 
the  lake  which  bears  their  name,  were  on  a  trading 
expedition  to  Quebec.  On  their  return  home  the 


302 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


Jesuits  Brebeuf  and  Daniel  accompanied  them.  They 
went  up  the  Ottawa  till  they  came  to  its  largest  west¬ 
ern  branch,  thence  to  its  head-waters,  and  thence 
across  the  wilderness  to  their  villages  on  Georgian 
Bay  and  Lake  Simcoe.  The  faith  and  zeal  of  these 
two  men  sustained  them  during  their  toilsome  jour¬ 
ney  of  nine  hundred  miles,  and  though  their  feet 
were  lacerated  and  their  garments  torn,  they  re¬ 
joiced  in  their  sufferings.  Here  in  a  grove  they  built, 
with  their  own  hands,  a  little  chapel,  in  which  they 
celebrated  the  ceremonies  of  their  church.  The  Red¬ 
man  came  to  hear  the  morning  and  evening  prayers ; 
though  in  a  language  which  he  could  not  understand, 
they  seemed  to  him  to  be  addressed  to  the  Great 
Spirit,  whom  he  himself  worshipped.  Six  missions 
were  soon  established  in  the  villages  around  these 
lakes  and  bays.  Father  Brebeuf  spent  four  hours  of 
every  morning  in  private  prayer  and  self-flagella¬ 
tions,  the  rest  of  the  day  in  catechizing  and  teaching. 
Sometimes  he  would  go  out  into  the  village,  and  as 
he  passed  along  would  ring  his  little  bell  and  thus 
invite  the  grave  warriors  to  a  conference,  on  the 
mysteries  of  his  religion.  Thus  he  labored  for  fifteen 
years. 

These  teachings  had  an  influence  on  the  suscept¬ 
ible  heart  of  the  great  Huron  chief  Ahasistari.  He 
professed  himself  a  convert  and  was  baptized.  Often 
as  he  escaped  uninjured  from  the  perils  of  battle,  he 
thought  some  powerful  spirit  watched  over  him,  and 
now  be  believed  that  the  God  whom  the  white  man 
worshipped  was  that  guardian  spirit.  In  the  first 
flush  of  his  zeal  he  exclaimed :  “Let  us  strive  to  make 
all  men  Christians.,, 

Thousands  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  forest 
listened  to  instruction,  and  the  story  of  their  willing¬ 
ness  to  hear,  when  told  in  France,  excited  a  new  in¬ 
terest.  The  king  and  queen  and  nobles  vied  with 


MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCE 


303 


each  other  in  manifesting  their  regard  by  giving  en¬ 
couragement  and  aid  to  the  missionaries,  and  by 
presents  to  the  converts.  A  college,  to  educate  men 
for  these  missions,  was  founded  at  Quebec,  two  years 
before  the  founding  of  Harvard.  Two  years  after¬ 
ward  the  Ursuline  convent  was  founded  at  Montreal 
for  the  education  of  Indian  girls,  and  three  young 
nuns  came  from  France  to  devote  themselves  to  that 
labor.  They  were  received  with  demonstrations  of 
joy  by  the  Hurons  and  Algonquins.  Montreal  was 
now  chosen  as  a  more  desirable  centre  for  missionary 
operations. 

The  tribes  most  intelligent  and  powerful,  most 
warlike  and  cruel,  with  whom  the  colonists  came  in 
contact  were  the  Mohawks,  or  Iroquois,  as  the  French 
named  them.  They  were  a  confederacy  consisting  of 
five  nations,  the  Senecas,  the  Oneidas,  the  Onondagas, 
the  Cayugas,  and  the  Mohawks — better  known  to  the 
English  by  the  latter  name.  This  confederacy  had 
been  formed  in  accordance  with  the  counsels  of  a 
great  and  wise  chief,  Hiawatha.  Their  traditions  tell 
of  him  as  having  been  specially  guided  by  the  Great 
Spirit,  and  that  amid  strains  of  unearthly  music,  he 
ascended  to  heaven  in  a  snow-white  canoe.  They  in¬ 
habited  that  beautiful  and  fertile  region  in  Central 
New  York,  where  we  find  the  lakes  and  rivers  still 
bearing  their  names. 

Their  territory  lay  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  On¬ 
tario,  and  extended  to  the  head-waters  of  the  streams 
which  flow  into  the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware  bays, 
and  also  to  the  sources  of  the  Ohio.  These  streams 
they  used  as  highways  in  their  war  incursions.  They 
pushed  their  conquests  up  the  lakes  and  down  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  northward  almost  to  the  frozen  re¬ 
gions  around  Hudson’s  Bay.  They  professed  to  hold 
many  of  the  tribes  of  New  England  as  tributary,  and 
extended  their  influence  to  the  extreme  east.  They 


304 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


made  incursions  down  the  Ohio  against  the  Shaw- 
nees,  whom  they  drove  to  the  Carolinas.  They  exer¬ 
cised  dominion  over  the  Illinois  and  the  Miamis. 
They  were  the  inveterate  enemies  of  the  Hurons, 
and  a  terror  to  the  French  settlements — especially 
were  they  hostile  to  the  missions.  In  vain  the  Jesuits 
strove  to  teach  them;  French  influence  could  never 
penetrate  south  of  Ontario.  The  Mohawks  closely 
watched  the  passes  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the 
intercourse  between  the  missionaries  stationed  on  the 
distant  lakes  and  their  headquarters  at  Montreal, 
was  interrupted  unless  they  travelled  the  toilsome 
route  by  the  Ottawa  and  the  wilderness  beyond. 

An  expedition  from  the  lakqs  had  slipped  through 
to  Quebec,  and  now  endeavored  to  return.  As  the 
fleet  approached  the  narrows,  suddenly  the  Mohawks 
attacked  it;  most  of  the  Frenchmen  and  Hurons 
made  for  the  opposite  shore.  Some  were  taken  pris¬ 
oners,  among  whom  was  Father  Jogues.  The  noble 
Ahasistari,  from  his  hiding  place,  saw  his  teacher 
was  a  prisoner ;  he  knew  that  he  would  be  tortured  to 
death,  and  he  hastened  to  him;  “My  brother,”  said 
he,  “I  made  oath  to  thee,  that  I  would  share  thy  for¬ 
tune,  whether  death  or  life;  here  I  am  to  keep  my 
vow.”  He  received  absolution  at  the  hands  of  Jogues, 
and  met  death  at  the  stake  in  a  manner  becoming  a 
great  warrior  and  a  faithful  convert. 

Father  Jogues  was  taken  from  place  to  place ;  in 
each  village  he  was  tortured  and  compelled  to  run 
the  gantlet.  His  fellow-priest,  Goupil,  was  seen  to 
make  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  the  forehead  of  an 
infant,  as  he  secretly  baptized  it.  The  Indians 
thought  it  a  charm  to  kill  their  children,  and  instant¬ 
ly  a  tomahawk  was  buried  in  the  poor  priest’s  head. 
The  Dutch  made  great  efforts,  but  in  vain,  to  ransom 
Jogues,  but  after  some  months  of  captivity  he  made 
his  escape  to  Fort  Orange,  where  he  was  gladly  re- 


MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCE 


305 


ceived  and  treated  with  great  kindness  by  the  Dom¬ 
inie  Megapolensis.  Jogues  went  to  France,  but  in 
a  few  years  he  was  again  among  his  tormentors  as 
a  messenger  of  the  gospel;  ere  long  a  blow  from  a 
savage  ended  his  life.  A  similar  fate  was  experi¬ 
enced  by  others.  Father  Bressani  was  driven  from 
hamlet  to  hamlet,  sometimes  scourged  by  all  the  in¬ 
habitants,  and  tortured  in  every  possible  form  which 
savage  ingenuity  could  invent, — yet  he  survived,  and 
was  at  last  ransomed  by  the  Dutch. 

The  Abenakis  of  Maine  sent  messengers  to  Montre¬ 
al  asking  for  missionaries.  They  were  granted,  and 
Father  Dreuilettes  made  his  way  across  the  wilder¬ 
ness  to  the  Penobscot,  and  a  few  miles  above  its 
mouth  established  a  mission.  The  Indians  came  to 
him  in  great  numbers.  He  became  as  one  of  them¬ 
selves,  he  hunted,  he  fished,  he  taught  among  them, 
and  won  their  confidence.  He  gave  a  favorable  re¬ 
port  of  the  place  and  the  disposition  of  the  tribes, 
and  a  permanent  Jesuit  mission  was  there  estab¬ 
lished.  On  one  occasion  Father  Dreuilettes  visited 
the  Apostle  Eliot  at  Roxbury.  The  noble  and  benev¬ 
olent  work  in  which  they  were  engaged,  served  in  the 
minds  of  these  good  men  to  soften  the  asperities  ex¬ 
isting  between  the  Catholic  and  the  Puritan,  and  they 
bid  each  other  God  speed. 

At  this  time  there  were  sixty  or  seventy  devoted 
missionaries  among  the  tribes  extending  from  Lake 
Superior  to  Nova  Scotia.  But  they  did  not  elevate 
the  character  of  the  Indian ;  he  never  learned  to  till 
the  soil,  nor  to  dwell  in  a  fixed  abode ;  he  was  still  a 
rover  in  the  wild,  free  forest,  living  by  the  chase. 
The  Abenakis,  like  the  Hurons,  were  willing  to  re¬ 
ceive  religious  instructions;  they  learned  to  chant 
matins  and  vespers,  they  loved  those  who  taught 
them.  It  is  not  for  us  to  say  how  many  of  them 
received  into  their  hearts  a  new  faith. 


306 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


The  continued  incursions  of  the  ferocious  Mo¬ 
hawks  kept  these  missions  in  peril.  Suddenly  one 
morning  they  attacked  the  mission  of  St.  Joseph  on 
Lake  Simcoe,  founded,  as  we  have  seen,  by  Brebeuf 
and  Daniel.  The  time  chosen  was  when  the  warriors 
were  on  a  hunting  excursion,  and  the  helpless  old 
men,  women  and  children  fell  victims  to  savage  treach¬ 
ery.  The  aged  priest  Daniel,  at  the  first  war-cry, 
hastened  to  give  absolution  to  all  the  converts  he 
could  reach,  and  then  calmly  advanced  from  the 
chapel  in  the  face  of  the  murderers.  He  fell  pierced 
with  many  arrows.  These  marauding  expeditions 
broke  up  nearly  all  the  missions  in  Upper  Canada. 
The  Hurons  were  scattered,  and  their  country  be¬ 
came  a  hunting  ground  for  their  inveterate  enemies. 

Many  of  the  Huron  converts  were  taken  prisoners 
and  adopted  into  the  tribes  of  the  Five  Nations. 
Some  years  after,  when  a  treaty  was  made  between 
those  nations  and  the  French,  the  presence  of  these 
converts  excited  hopes  that  they  would  receive  Jesuit 
teachers.  A  mission  was  established  among  the 
Onondagas,  and  Oswego,  their  principal  village,  was 
chosen  for  the  station.  In  a  year  or  two  missionaries 
were  laboring  among  other  tribes  of  the  confederacy. 
But  the  French,  who  had  an  eye  to  securing  that  fer¬ 
tile  region,  sent  fifty  colonists,  who  began  a  settle¬ 
ment  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswego.  The  jealousy  of 
the  Indians  was  excited ;  they  compelled  the  colonists 
to  leave  their  country,  and  with  them  drove  away  the 
missionaries.  Thus  ended  the  attempts  of  the 
French  to  possess  the  soil  of  New  York. 

The  zeal  of  the  Jesuits  was  not  diminished  by 
these  untoward  misfortunes;  they  still  continued  to 
prosecute  their  labors  among  the  tribes  who  would 
receive  them.  Away  beyond  Lake  Superior  one  of 
their  number  lost  his  way  in  the  woods  and  perished, 
and  the  wild  Sioux  kept  his  cassock  as  an  amulet. 


MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCE  307 

Into  that  same  region  the  undaunted  Father  Allouez 
penetrated ;  there  at  the  largest  town  of  the  Chippe- 
was,  he  found  a  council  of  the  chiefs  of  many  differ¬ 
ent  tribes.  They  were  debating  whether  they  should 
take  up  arms  against  the  powerful  and  warlike  Sioux. 
He  exhorted  them  to  peace,  and  urged  them  to  join  in 
alliance  with  the  French  against  the  Iroquois;  he 
also  promised  them  trade,  and  the  protection  of  the 
great  king  of  the  French.  Then  he  heard  for  the 
first  time  of  the  land  of  Illinois,  where  there  were  no 
trees,  but  vast  plains  covered  with  long  grass,  on 
which  grazed  innumerable  herds  of  buffalo  and  deer ; 
he  heard  of  the  wild  rice,  and  of  the  fertile  lands 
which  produced  an  abundance  of  maize,  and  of  re¬ 
gions  where  copper  was  obtained, — the  mines  so  fa¬ 
mous  in  our  own  day.  He  learned,  too,  of  the  great 
river  yet  farther  west,  which  flowed  toward  the 
south,  whither,  his  informants  could  not  tell.  After 
a  sojourn  of  two  years  Allouez  returned  to  Quebec, 
to  implore  aid  in  establishing  missions  in  that  hope¬ 
ful  field.  He  stayed  only  to  make  known  his  re¬ 
quest;  in  two  days,  he  was  on  his  way  back  to  his 
field  of  labor,  accompanied  by  only  one  companion. 

The  next  year  there  came  from  France  another 
company  of  priests,  among  whom  was  James  Mar¬ 
quette,  who  repaired  immediately  to  the  missions  on 
the  distant  lakes.  Accompanied  by  a  priest  named 
Joliet,  and  five  French  boatmen,  with  some  Indians  as 
guides  and  interpreters,  Marquette  set  out  to  find  the 
great  river,  of  which  he  had  heard  so  much.  The 
company  passed  up  the  Fox  river  in  two  birch-bark 
canoes ;  they  carried  them  across  the  portage  to  the 
banks  of  the  Wisconsin,  down  which  they  floated, 
till  at  length  their  eyes  were  gratified  by  the  sight  of 
the  “Father  of  Waters.” 

They  coast  along  its  shores,  lined  with  primeval 
forests,  swarming  with  all  kinds  of  game;  the  prai- 


308 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


ries  redolent  with  wild  flowers ; — all  around  them  is 
a  waste  of  grandeur  and  beauty.  After  floating  one 
hundred  and  eighty  miles  they  meet  with  signs  of 
human  beings.  They  land,  and  find,  a  few  miles  dis¬ 
tant,  an  Indian  village ;  here  they  are  welcomed  by  a 
people  who  speak  the  language  of  their  guides.  They 
are  told  that  the  great  river  extends  to  the  far  south, 
where  the  heat  is  deadly,  and  that  the  great  monsters 
of  the  river  destroy  both  men  and  canoes. 

Nothing  daunted  they  pass  on,  and  ere  long  they 
reach  the  place  where  the  turbid  and  rapid  Missouri 
plunges  into  the  tranquil  and  clear  Mississippi. 
“When  I  return,”  says  Marquette,  “I  will  ascend  that 
river  and  pass  beyond  its  head-waters  and  proclaim 
the  gospel.”  Further  on  they  see  a  stream  flowing 
from  the  northeast; — it  is  the  Ohio,  of  which  the 
Iroquois  have  told  them.  We  can  imagine  Marquette, 
noticing  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  looking  with  awe  up¬ 
on  the  dark  and  impenetrable  forests,  and  hoping 
that  in  future  ages  these  shores  would  be  the  homes 
of  many  millions  of  civilized  and  Christian  men. 

As  they  went  on  they  approached  a  warmer  cli¬ 
mate;  and  now  they  were  sure  that  the  great  river 
flowed  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  not  into  that  of 
California,  as  had  been  supposed.  They  met  with  In¬ 
dians  who  showed  them  tools  of  European  manufac¬ 
ture;  obtained  either  from  the  English  of  Virginia 
or  from  the  Spanish  further  south.  It  was  deemed 
prudent  to  return,  as  they  might  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  latter,  and  thus  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of 
making  known  their  discovery.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
Arkansas  they  began  the  toilsome  labor  of  paddling 
their  canoes  up  the  stream  down  which  they  had  so 
easily  floated.  They  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Illi¬ 
nois  ;  thinking  it  would  lead  them  to  the  lakes,  they 
passed  up  that  river  to  its  head-waters,  and  thence 
across  to  Lake  Michigan. 


MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCE 


309 


Joliet  immediately  set  out  to  carry  the  news  of  the 
discovery  to  Quebec.  Marquette  was  desirous  to  be¬ 
gin  his  work,  and  he  chose  to  remain  in  the  humble 
station  of  a  missionary  in  the  wilderness.  One  day 
he  retired  to  his  private  devotions,  at  a  simple  altar 
he  had  erected  in  a  grove.  An  hour  afterward  he 
was  found  kneeling  beside  it;  his  prayers  and  his 
labors  for  the  good  of  the  poor  Indian  were  ended ; — 
in  that  hour  of  quiet  retirement  his  spirit  had  passed 
away. 

Among  the  adventurers  who  came  to  Canada  to 
seek  their  fortunes,  was  Robert  Cavalier  de  la  Salle, 
a  young  man  who  had  been  educated  as  a  Jesuit,  but 
had  renounced  the  order.  A  large  domain  at  the  out¬ 
let  of  Lake  Ontario  was  granted  him  on  condition 
*  that  he  would  maintain  Fort  Frontenac,  now  Kings¬ 
ton.  But  his  main  object  was  to  obtain  the  entire 
trade  of  the  Iroquois.  The  news  of  the  discovery  of 
the  great  river  inflamed  his  ardent  mind  with  a  de¬ 
sire  to  make  settlements  on  its  banks,  and  thus  se¬ 
cure  its  vast  valley  for  his  king.  Leaving  his  lands 
and  his  herds,  he  sailed  for  France,  and  there  ob¬ 
tained  a  favorable  grant  of  privilege.  He  returned 
passed  up  to  Lake  Erie,  at  the  foot  of  which  he  built 
a  vessel  of  sixty  tons,  in  which,  with  a  company  of 
sailors,  hunters  and  priests,  he  passed  through  the 
straits  to  the  upper  lakes,  and  anchored  in  Green 
Bay.  There,  lading  his  ship  with  a  cargo  of  precious 
furs,  he  sent  her  to  Niagara,  with  orders  to  return 
as  soon  as  possible  with  supplies.  Meanwhile  he 
passed  over  into  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  and  on  a 
bluff  by  the  river  side,  near  where  Peoria  now  stands, 
built  a  fort,  and  waited  for  his  ships ;  but  he  waited 
in  vain ;  she  was  wrecked  on  the  voyage. 

After  three  years  of  toils,  wanderings  in  the  wil¬ 
derness,  and  voyages  to  France,  during  which  he  ex¬ 
perienced  disappointments  that  would  have  broken 


310 


HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 


the  spirit  of  an  ordinary  man,  we  find  him  once  more 
on  the  banks  of  the  Illinois.  Now  he  built  a  barge,  on 
board  of  which,  with  his  companions,  he  floated  down 
to  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  to  the  Gulf.  Thus  were 
his  hopes,  after  so  much  toil  and  sacrifice,  realized. 
He  had  triumphantly  traced  the  mighty  stream  to  its 
mouth.  He  remained  only  to  take  possession  of  the 
country  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign,  Louis  XIV.,  in 
honor  of  whom  he  named  it  Louisiana. 

La  Salle  returned  to  Quebec,  and  immediately 
sailed  for  France.  He  desired  to  carry  into  effect  his 
great  design  of  planting  a  colony  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  enterprise  was  looked  upon  with 
favor  by  both  the  French  people  and  the  king.  He 
was  furnished  with  an  armed  frigate  and  three  other 
vessels,  with  two  hundred  and  eighty  persons  to  form 
a  colony.  One  hundred  of  these  were  soldiers ;  of  the 
remainder,  some  were  volunteers,  some  were  me¬ 
chanics,  and  some  priests.  Unfortunately,  the  com¬ 
mand  of  the  ships  was  given  to  Beaujeu,  a  man  as 
ignorant  as  he  was  self-willed  and  conceited.  After 
surmounting  many  difficulties,  they  entered  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  but  missed  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 
La  Salle  soon  discovered  the  error,  but  the  Stubborn 
Beaujeu,  deaf  to  reason,  sailed  on  directly  west,  till 
fortunately  arrested  by  the  eastern  shore  of  Texas. 
La  Salle  soon  discovered  the  error,  but  the  stubborn 
the  mouth  of  the  great  river.  The  careless  pilot  ran 
the  store  ship  on  the  breakers;  suddenly  a  storm 
arose,  and  very  little  was  saved  of  the  abundance 
which  Louis  had  provided  for  the  enterprise.  It  is 
said  that  he  gave  more  to  aid  this  one  colony  than  the 
English  sovereigns  combined  gave  to  all  theirs  in 
North  America. 

As  the  ships  were  about  to  leave  them  on  that  des¬ 
olate  shore,  many  became  discouraged,  and  returned 
home.  The  waters  in  the  vicinity  abounded  in  fish, 


MISSIONS  AND  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NEW  FRANCS 


311 


and  the  forests  in  game,  and  with  a  mild  climate  and 
productive  soil,  there  was  no  danger  from  starvation. 
A  fort  was  built  in  a  suitable  place;  the  trees  of  a 
grove  three  miles  distant  furnished  the  material, 
which  they  dragged  across  the  prairie.  La  Salle  ex¬ 
plored  the  surrounding  country,  but  sought  in  vain 
for  the  Mississippi.  On  his  return  to  the  fort,  he 
was  grieved  to  find  his  colony  reduced  to  forty  per¬ 
sons,  and  they  disheartened  and  mutinous.  He  did 
not  despair ;  he  would  yet  accomplish  the  darling  ob¬ 
ject  of  his  ambition;  he  would  thread  his  way 
through  the  wilderness  to  Canada,  and  induce  colon¬ 
ists  to  join  him.  With  a  company  of  sixteen  men  he 
commenced  the  journey;  they  travelled  two  months 
across  the  prairies  west  of  the  Mississippi;  but  the 
hopes  that  had  cheered  his  heart  amidst  hardships 
and  disappointments  were  never  to  be  realized.  Two 
of  his  men,  watching  their  opportunity,  murdered 
him.  Thus  perished  Robert  Cavalier  de  la  Salle,  as¬ 
sassinated  in  the  wilderness  by  his  own  countrymen. 
He  was  the  first  to  fully  appreciate  the  importance 
of  securing  to  France  the  two  great  valleys  of  this 
continent.  His  name  will  ever  be  associated  with  his 
unsuccessful  enterprise,  and  his  tragical  fate  will 
ever  excite  a  feeling  of  sympathy.  Retribution  was 
not  long  delayed ;  his  murderers,  grasping  at  spoils, 
became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with  their  companions, 
and  both  perished  by  the  hand  of  violence. 

The  remainder  of  the  company  came  upon  a  trib¬ 
utary  of  the  Mississippi,  down  which  they  passed  to 
its  mouth,  where  their  eyes  were  greeted  by  a  cross, 
and  the  arms  of  France  engraved  upon  a  tree.  This 
had  been  done  by  Tonti,  a  friend  of  La  Salle,  who  had 
descended  from  the  Illinois,  but  in  despair  of  seeing 
him  had  returned.  The  colony  of  Texas  perished 
without  leaving  a  memento  of  its  existence. 


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HISTORICAL  MEMORANDA 


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Boston  College  Library 

Chestnut  Hill  67,  Mass. 


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